saint anthony - Catholic Apologetics Information

Transcription

SAINT
The
ANTHONY
Saint of the
Whole World
ADAPTED FROM THE BEST SOURCES BY
Rev.
lftyftor
St.
Anthony
is
THOMAS
F.
WARD
ef the Church of St. Charles Borromeo, Brooklyn. N, Y,
not only the Saint of Padua, he
whole world.— Leo XIII.
New York,
is
the Saint of the
Cincinnati. Chicago
BENZIGER BROTHERS
WINTERS TO TBT
HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE
PUBLISHERS OF
|
BENZICER'S
Mf
UAGAZIMsQ^
i
¥Ubtl (Pbstat.
Remy Lafort,
Censor LibroruM.
Imprimatur.
* Michael Augustine,
Archbishop of New Vor*.
Mbw
York,
April 5, 189B.
Copyright,
1898,
by Benziger Brothers.
PKEFACE.
If ever man,
ever saint received the Holy
Spirit abundantly, it was unquestionably the
saint whose life we now present for the edificaif
tion of the faithful.
and His sevenfold
was by the Holy Spirit
that St. Anthony accom-
It
,
gifts
plished those great wonders which we admire
in his life.
Supernatural light and piety and
strength were the means which God furnished
him, and by which he so marvellously fulfilled
his mission.
When
the Saviour wished to save men,
commenced His ministry by
He
instructing them.
preached in Judea and in Galilee, in fact He
declared that His mission was precisely to preach
He
When He was about to ascend to
heaven, He charged His apostles to continue the
work He had begun, and insisted that they also
to
men.
should preach His word to men.
Yet let us not suppose that preaching consists
5
6
Preface.
merely in the discourses which the apostle delivered: "No," said a great preacher, "the aposnot only a man who knows, and who teaches
by means of the word delivered the apostle is a
tle is
;
man who
preaches Christianity with his whole
being, and whose very presence is the appearance of another Christ."
And
such was
devotion
saint
is
was
St.
Anthony
of Padua, to
whom
This amiable
so widespread to-day.
To
at once both monk and apostle.
the preaching of the Gospel he added the strict
observance of the severest counsels and the con-
and of
means that he captivated countless followers: the just were strengthened, the slothful fired with zeal, sinners were
converted, and heretics recognized their errors.
stant practice of fasting,
It was by these
prayer.
At
of penance,
the
comparatively early age of thirty-six
years his earthly mission ended. After his death,
even as during his life, wonders were wrought
through his intercession.
And now,
after seven
centuries have passed away, the great wonderworker still spreads out his blessings on those
who invoke him, with such profusion as is well
calculated to encourage his devout servants to
continue the offering of their homage.
7
Preface.
It is for this
pages, which
end that
we
devote these few
will proclaim the virtues of this
great friend of God, and the power he possesses
in heaven.
To render to the saints the honor which is
due them, we should invoke and imitate them.
We should strive to follow the good examples
which they have given us while on earth;
and to do this we should read and know their
lives.
Let us read especially the life of St. Anthony
of Padua, and we shall be astonished at such
exalted
the
We
sanctity.
cannot
power granted by God
fail
to
to
this
admire
wonder-
worker.
Devotion to
St.
Anthony
of
Padua
crossed the
ocean with our fathers, and with the Virgin
Mother and St. Joseph he is invoked in almost
every Catholic household, with a fervor and a
piety which,
we must
admit, have received their
fullest
recompense.
can deny the power of St. Anthony,
When we
especially in certain circumstances?
Who
read this
little
book,
we
shall learn, after the ex-
ample the saint has given us, that there is everything to gain by serving God faithfully and
8
Preface.
lovingly, while there is everything to lose by
abandoning Him.
We
shall
learn
also
the great advantages
which follow the invocation of the
saints,
and
how much our sorrows shall be soothed, if we
only know how to form friendships in heaven.
CONTENTS.
Preface,
•
•
.
MO
....
CHAPTER
5
I.
Infancy of St. Anthony of Padua,
CHAPTER
His Vocation,
.
.........
11
II.
15
i
CHAPTER
St.
CHAPTER
St.
St.
.
Anthony
is
..80
VI.
Appointed Custodian of Limoges,
CHAPTER
28
V.
Anthony and the Albigenses,
CHAPTER
lft
IV.
Anthony Lectures on Theology,
CHAPTER
St.
ni.
Anthony Entebs the House of the Friars Minor,
.
89
VII.
The Wonder-Worker at LmoGES,
.
.
,
,43
CHAPTER VIH.
St.
Anthony Leaves France,
68
10
Contents.
CHAPTER
Italy—The Miracle op tot
St,
Anthony
St.
Anthony at Padua,
in
IX.
CHAPTER
Fishes,
,
59
X.
07
CHAPTER XL
General Chapter of
78
Assisi,
CHAPTER XIL
Death op
St.
Anthony
.
CHAPTER
The Bread of
St.
Anthony,
is
Asked of
St.
....
78
XIIL
.
CHAPTER
What
•
90
XIV.
Anthony,
99
Prayers to St. Anthony,
Novena in Honor of St. Anthony of Padua,
.
.
Prayer to Find Lost Things,
Efficacious Prayer to St. Anthony
Petition to St. Anthony,
Prayer to Obtain a Good Death,
Litany of St. Anthony,
The Responsory to St. Anthony,
103
103
103
104
106
106
107
Ill
O Gloriosa Domina,
O Lingua Benedicta,
113
114
Anthony's Blessing Against the Assaults of the
116
Powers of Hell,
Three Prayers to be Said Kneeling Before a Picture
St.
of St.
Anthony
Kind,
Prayer
Prayer for One
Anthony,
in Affliction or Anxiety of
any
116
118
who Would
.
•
Devoutly Honor
.
.
.
.
St.
•
118
ANTHONY,
ST,
THE SAINT OF THE WHOLE WORLD.
CHAPTER
INFANCY OF
ST.
I.
ANTHONY OF PADUA.
\
St.
Anthony
of
Padua was born
at Lisbon, in
His
Portugal, on the 15th day of August, 1195.
father was Martin de Bouillon and his mother
Theresa de Tavera.
Both were descended from
a long line of ancient and illustrious ancestors,
remarkable for their courage and faith and their
nobility of blood.
Hardly had the illustrious St. Francis of Assisi
been called to his reward, than his place was
filled, in the veneration and enthusiasm of the
people,
by him
whom
all
born, the amiable saint of
proclaimed his firstwhom we are speak-
Like his spiritual father, St. Anthony was
remarkable for his dominion over nature which
won for him the title of wonder-worker.
ing.
11
Infancy of St Anthony of Padua.
12
The newly-born
pomp
child
was
carried in
great
to the sacred precincts of the cathedral,
and there received the name of Fernando.
There was unbounded joy in the household:
the lowly and the great ones united their congratulations, and the palace of the de Bouillon
resounded with best wishes, which might seem
exaggerated, to be excelled only by the reality.
His mother, Donna Theresa, was most conscientious in her duties, and realized her responsibility
Her
fully.
solicitude
was very great
in the ex-
mission, which for every
mother worthy of the name is a sacred obligation.
Being thoroughly Christian, she filled the
ercise of her exalted
mind
of her little son with the sweet teachings of
the Gospel, and being the daughter of heroes, she
formed him on lofty ideals of character, and to
esteem those great things which she regarded
as the most beautiful possession of nobility.
This pious mother,
Queen
full
of devotion
to
the
of Heaven, taught her beloved child not
Mary's power and goodness, but she
taught him also to give her his confidence and
only
love.
Fernando responded to the affection of his
Everything in him foretold a heart of
mother.
Infancy of
St Anthony of Padua.
13
gold and an exalted and refined intelligence. He
was happy only when they spoke to him of the
Trinity, the Virgin Mother, and the
The ardor with which he recited his
daily devotions was the admiration of every one.
We might say that his education was given him
in the church, at the foot of the altars, and that
his science was founded especially on the knowl-
Blessed
saints.
edge of
religion.
He
learned the Latin language
rapidly, and, in fact, all that was taught in the
schools at the time: humanities, rhetoric, and
philosophy.
Everything that related to
ecclesiastical history,
an object
of
and
to liturgy
marked
predilection.
to study, his modesty, his sweetness,
religion,
was
for
him
His devotion
and his piety
were the consolation of his preceptors and the
admiration of his comrades.
He was
regarded
as the model of all the virtues, and merited even
more eulogies than were bestowed upon him.
The first miracle of which we have any record
took place in the church which he was accustomed to frequent. One day, as he was kneeling
on the steps of the altar, in the sanctuary of Our
Lady of the Pillar and his eyes fixed on the tabangel of the earth mingled his
burning adorations with those of his brethren in
ernacle,
this
14
Infancy of St. Anthony of Padwa.
Suddenly the demon appeared to him
a threatening manner, striving to turn him
away from his devotions. The terrified young
heaven.
in
man remembered
the power of the sign of the
cross, and quickly he traced this sign on the
marble steps. At once, under the impress of his
pure and delicate finger, the marble softened and
It was a
retained the impression of the cross.
thunder-stroke for the demon, who immediately
disappeared.
this day,
mark
The miraculous
and pilgrims love
cross
is visible
to
to kiss the ineffaceable
of the first prodigy in a life all resplendent
with prodigies.
CHAPTER
II.
HIS VOCATION.
In time the young Fernando attained to manhood, the age when the passions grow strong, the
moment
dreams and delusions, the
of
life, the dangerous shoal on
epoch
which so many beautiful souls are shipwrecked
of deceitful
critical
Fernando was surrounded
by countless snares. Being rich, and of illustrious birth and splendid personal appearance, he
was exposed to all the attacks of the world, and
besides he lived in a city which then, as now,
was truly a place of pleasure. But he did not
and forever ruined.
yield to temptation: chosen souls, like this one,
more exposed than others to dangers,
temptations, and ruin.
While, it is true, he
was strong to combat against himself and against
the demon, his heart, however, was swayed by
great trials but God was with him and He never
abandoned His servant. In those moments when
he felt himself failing, he had recourse to God
are even
;
15
His Vocation.
16
and the Virgin Mother,
his patroness, and with
tearful eyes asked their protection and assistance.
One day, raised by grace above the world
and himself, he resolved
to delay no longer in con"
ht
world
O
I"
secrating himself to God.
" thou hast overwhelmed me
; thy strength
a frail reed, thy riches are only a little sm<
thy pleasures so
is
shipwrecked.
many quicksands
For me,
O
in
Lord,
whic
Thy
;ed,
nly
n
a
my dwelling forever." His resolution
He asked for
taken, firm and irrevocable.
shall be
was
the habit in the convent of Canons Eegular
St. Augustine, at Lisbon.
He was received with
open arms and the white robe of the novices
placed upon him.
Fernando was happy now he had only to think
;
But he was not allowed long to enjoy
that peace which he desired with so much ardor.
His parents and friends, during the year of his
novitiate, tormented him constantly to return
to the world.
Every means were employeu:
caresses, threats, flatteries, and bitter railleries.
Being harassed on every side, fatigued by constant combat which detached his soul from tri-
of God.
pure joys of the sanctuary, the young novice r*\
solved to depart from Lisbon, and to seek
elsg-,
His Vocation,
wliem the
17
tranquillity he could not find there.
He
decided to go to Coimbra, where, as at
Lisbon, he was the admiration of the other
relierious.
I
for?
'
she abbey,
r
mn
the study of letters and the
of the religious
life
went hand -in -
nd so Don Fernando could give himself
the pursuit of sacred science.
Nature
His memory was proiriohly endowed him.
He
he read. Being
whatever
retained
digious.
alone with God, meditating constantly on heav7 things, he soon acquired a full and comIt was said that the
plete knowledge of them.
had
descended
on
him as upon the
Holy Spirit
m£k
Apostles to give
him the
mense knowledge, and an
gift of tongues, imirresistible eloquence.
His preceptors did not conceal their admiration
for his vast erudition, and his superiors did not
hesitate to present
him
for sacred orders.
God
One day, as he
at some humble
-Moreover, the sanctity of this servant of
was already known by miracles.
was occupied near the church
occupation, he heard the clock strike suddenly,
dch announced the time of the elevation. As
j& knelt on the earth, he beheld the stone walls
^pen before him, and the priest at the altar
2
His Vocation,
18
appeared to him, holding the sacred Host in his
hands.
On
another
brother,
day,
while
who laughed and
attending
a
sick
cried alternately, as
nervously, the idea came to Anthony
that the unhappy brother was under the power
of the demon and so it was in fact taking his
if afflicted
—
:
mantle from his shoulders he covered the
brother,
who was
afflicted
at once restored to perfect
health.
On another occasion, while assisting the priest
at the altar, he perceived the soul of a Franciscan religious suspended in the air under the form
of a white dove.
The
soul
had passed through
purgatory, had paid the last farthing of satisfaction, and entered into the kingdom of the elect.
CHAPTER
ST.
III.
ANTHONY ENTERS THE HOUSE OP THE FRIARS
MINOR.
In the year 1216, St. Francis of Assisi had just
sent into Portugal St. Zachary and St. Gauthier
with some Friars Minor. King Alphonsus II.
to them the chapel of the holy abbe
about
half a league from Coimbra, and
Anthony,
made them erect there a convent. As they often
came to collect at the houses of the Augustinians,
had confided
Don Fernando soon knew them, and consequently
admired the austerity of their apostolic life. He
loved to converse with them, and felt in his heart
an immense desire to imitate them. There was
which influenced him,
the solemn translation of the bodies of five
also another circumstance
viz.
:
Franciscan religious who had just been marOn learning the glorious history
tyred at Maroc.
of these five apostles, he also wished to shed his
blood for Christ by propagating the faith.
Day
and night he longed
for the
19
palm of martyrdom,
Enters the House of the Friars Minor.
20
which he believed he could merit only under the
habit of the Friars Minor.
After praying to God to make known to him
intentions, he imparted his desire and his
resolutions to the Brothers of St. Anthony des
His
Oliviers,
who
received
him with great
joy.
Great indeed was the sorrow of the Augus-
Canons when they had learned his deterThe prior, in giving him the permission he could not refuse, did not conceal his
disapprobation, and one of the Canons to whom
he bade adieu said to him with sorrow: "Go;
"
But Fernando
you will perhaps become a saint.
answered humbly: "The day on which you
learn that I have become a saint you shall be the
tinian
mination.
first to
God
give thanks to
The new Franciscan
the Order, the
holy priest
to
name
for it."
received, with the habit of
of
Anthony
whom was
in
honor of the
dedicated
the
first
seraphic convent in Portugal.
When
he had pronounced his vows, remembering he had entered the seraphic Order only with
the desire of gaining the crown of martyrdom,
he asked his superiors for permission to go to
Africa to preach there the truth to the Maurians.
His superiors allowed him to depart; but God,
who was
21
content with his ardent desire, had dewisdom that Anthony should
cided in His eternal
He had scarcely
exercise his zeal in Europe.
reached the end of his journey when our saint
fell a victim to a cruel illness which more than
once placed his life in danger and forced him to
return to Portugal, where he expected to find
health and strength. The return was unfortunate ; a violent tempest cast him on the shores of
Sicily.
He
then went to Messina, where the Brothers
Minor had a convent; and about two months
after the servant of
health.
God was
fully restored to
There was at that time an
official
con-
vocation of the Fourth General Chapter of the
Order, and our saint hastened to place himself at
the disposition of the holy founder.
The Chapter opened at Portiuncula on the thirtieth
day of May, 1221.
It
was a most imposing
assembly; the bishop, the cardinal, and about
three thousand brethren assembled from the north
But above and beyond all, the seraphic patriarch was conspicuous not only because
and south.
of the
superiority of his virtues, but
of his authority.
plating
because
Anthony never tired contemworn countenance
the emaciated and
22
expressive of humility, zeal, and love nor could
he thank the divine Master sufficiently for hav;
ing
sent
called
to
him
to a warfare so providentially
assistance of His Church.
St.
the
Francis, so largely endowed with the discernment of souls, did not know this son, who was
destined soon to shed lustre on the institute.
He
divided
the
labors,
pointed out the
new
assigned
missions.
residences,
But
and
in all these
No
arrangements Anthony was overlooked.
He was
provincial thought of claiming him.
looked upon as a novice, as one incapable of duty.
God
permitted this humiliation in order to
strengthen the merits of His faithful servant.
He reserved him for the proper time, to place him
as a bright light in a most conspicuous place.
The blessed Anthony begged to be allowed to
accompany the provincial so that he might be
formed or trained in the exercises of the regular
Not one word of his past life escaped
discipline.
his lips, not the least allusion to his theological
studies.
to love
To know Jesus and Jesus
Him such was his desire.
—
crucified,
and
Touched by
the exquisite candor of the applicant, the provincial
granted his request, embraced him tenderly,
set out for Roumania.
and together they
CHAPTER
ST.
TY.
ANTHONY LECTURES ON THEOLOGY.
As
cial
Brother Anthony was a priest, the provinappointed him to attend the little monastery
mountain of the same name.
The convent was admirably situated on the sum-
of St. Paul on the
mit of the mountain, suspended, so to speak, between earth and heaven, where no earthly sound
could reach it. There the ravished soul could
hear in silence and peace the great harmonies of
nature celebrating the grandeur and the power
of the Creator.
This
was
what
Anthony always
longed for; a religious gave him a little cell
built in the rock, on the side of the mountain.
There
it
precisely
was he came, when his duties were fuland nights in perpetual medi-
filled, to pass days
tation, interrupted only
by austere practices.
He
and water, and wore under his
clothing a hair shirt, sharp and coarse, all of
which are still preserved at Padua in a silver
lived on bread
24
St.
His
frame.
much
Anthony Lectures on Theology,
weakened him so
But if the
scarcely stand.
soul was strong, being conby prayer, and prepared to
against heresy and all the
mortifications
that he could
body was weak, the
stantly strengthened
combat victoriously
vanities of the world.
Anthony lived thus
for a
whole year in solitude
and contemplation, submissive to the providence
of God, which he never questioned for a moment.
The time, however, approached when the pious
Anthony should make known the precious
he had received from heaven.
the servant of
who went
God accompanied
gifts
In the year 1222,
the Friars Minor
to Forli to receive sacred orders.
was the custom, after an
some words to the young
It
ordination, to address
clerics,
who had
just
been ordained ministers of the Most High.
The bishop of Forli requested the guardian of
Mount St. Paul to discharge this duty, or to enThe eyes of the
trust it to one of his religious.
fell
on
and
it
was he who resuperior
Anthony,
in
ceived the command,
the name of holy obedience, to ascend the pulpit
discourse.
Against
and give the customary
his feelings he consented,
esteeming himself unworthy of such an honor.
Yet he must obey; and, having asked the
St.
Anthony Lectures on Theology.
25
bishop's blessing, he prepared himself to speak.
None of his assistants thought that he had studied the
them
;
Holy Scriptures, or had scarcely read
they saw him constantly engaged in the
kitchen, occupied in cleansing the vessels of the
convent rather than plunged in the works of high
theology.
He
for
took for his text this passage of the office
Holy Thursday, Christus factus est obediens
usque ad mortem. At first his words were calm,
without splendor, almost hesitating. Then he
became animated, rapid, energetic, and burning.
The poor monk, worn out by sufferings and privations, and of wretched appearance, spoke with
the authority of an apostle and the eloquence of
a prophet.
With his powerful voice and superb
gestures, he ruled the whole assembly.
By his
attitude alone he seemed to say, "Listen, children
of men, for I am he who speaks in the name of
the Lord." In fact, he was heard with religious
admiration. The assistants were mute with astonishment and shed tears of happiness. They
saw a ray of divine intelligence shining in him,
and were penetrated by a profound and holy
A new life had now begun for An*
respect.
thony.
26
St.
The
public
reports
and
were not slow
his superiors
comments
the
in
of
making known
the holy patriarch Francis what had been
the success of the first sermon pronounced
to
by the young religious, and also what magnificent
hopes were expected from such a
beginning. Almost at once he was entrusted
with
the difficult mission of laboring for the
conversion and the salvation of souls. Anthony
was then only twenty-seven years
old.
From
the day on which he began his painand glorious labor until he ceased to
ful
preach,
an
attentive
and
pious multitude
At
his sermons.
thronged to hear
he evangelized the principal
eagerly
Roucrowned
his
mania and Lombardy. Success
Sinners wept and
efforts beyond all hope.
he preached,
where
churches
sobbed in the
and the most unexpected conversions were
His words were like
wrought by his labors.
first
so
many
hearers.
ness;
darts which pierced the hearts of his
He gave to others of his own ful-
and
was not astonishing
it
kindled in his
he enkindled
him.
cities of
own
it
that,
having
soul the fire of divine charity,
also in the souls of all
who heard
St Anthony
Lectures on Theology.
27
The
superiority of Anthony's talents responded
to a project cherished for three or four years by
the seraphic patriarch.
He wished to have an
official course of theology for the special use of
The venerable founder looked about
him, among all his disciples, for a wise and wellthe Order.
balanced mind, uniting solid piety with vast wisHe was still seeking when the Superior
Gratien presented, in eulogistic terms, the con-
dom.
templative of
Mount
St.
accomplished director.
Paul as the type of the
At once
the patriarch of
Anthony, and he was too obedient
a son to think for an instant of declining the
honor offered him, in spite of his extreme modWell did he know that the honor was also
esty.
Assisi selected
a heavy charge.
of
Mount
St.
Immediately leaving the grotto
Paul which he loved so well, he
hastened to Bologna, there to fulfil the office of
In addition to his preaching he propreacher.
fessed theology, at first in France, at Montpelier,
then at Bologna, and at Padua, then at Toulouse,
and in several other cities of France. Everywhere a multitude of young men, thirsting for
science, gathered to hear his lessons; and his
fame increased from day to day in spite of the
efforts he made to remain unknown, although he
28
St.
did not think of himself but of the souls of his
hearers.
The learned abbe" of St. Andrew said of Anthony: "Love often passes the limits in which
science dwells; and this is what I have observed
Anthony, the friar minor, with whom I have
had friendly relations for a long time he had
not only a very profound knowledge of human
science, but by the purity of his soul and the fire
of his love he has surpassed the greatest theologians, and we can say of him, as of St. John
the Baptist, he was as a lamp which burns by
consuming itself. The fire of his love consumed
him, and by the example of his holy life he enin
;
lightened the world." Anthony also loved this
learned abbe tenderly, and as often as he passed
near Piedmont, he never neglected to visit him.
At the moment of his death he suddenly appeared
to the theologian, who, lost in his books,
was
from a violent headache. Anthony
affectionately embraced him and said: "I have
left my work at Padua and am returning to my
country." Having relieved the headache, he
vanished as a phantom. The abbe, imagining
suffering
that
Anthony was
returning to Portugal,
searched the convent, and was astonished to find
St.
that no one had seen him.
Some days
29
after-
ward everything was explained; he received
the news from Padua that Anthony had died,
and precisely at the hour when he had appeared
to him.
CHAPTER
At
gan
V.
ST.
ANTHONY AND THE ALBIGENSES.
this
epoch the heresy of the Albigenses beits ravages in the south of France.
to
work
Like to a contagious scourge,
it
spread in the
villages and made countless victims.
St. Francis was moved by it; his heart was
bleeding at the thought of the sorrows which
countless souls were preparing for themselves in
eternity, and he thought he could arrest the
progress of the evil. For this great mission he
selected Anthony and charged him to found convents of the Order, and to preach the true faith
in Provence and Languedoc.
Anthony departed
cities
and
feeling strong in the help of the Lord.
Hardly had he arrived when he gave himself
resolutely to the
work assigned him.
He
labored
incessantly, without truce or intermission, until
the heresy was reduced almost to powerlessness.
He was
called the
sions were frequent.
hammer of
heresy.
Conver-
Each sermon gained a great
30
St.
Anthony and
31
the ATbigenses.
number. When he ceased speaking many men
and women approached him with tears in their
eyes, to ask of him, in the name of the Lord,
pardon and absolution for their errors. MoreAfter his
over, he spared himself no fatigue.
daily
Mass he passed
his days in preaching, in
and in absolv-
catechizing, in giving wise counsel,
So engrossed was he in these works of
Oftencharity and love he forgot to eat or drink.
times he took his first repast only when night
was coming on. At night he prayed, meditated,
and studied. The Lord took care to confirm his
words by prodigies.
ing.
One morning, while our saint was in the pulpit,
the body of a young man was brought to him,
who had been prematurely taken from
his par-
The sorrow of the family was heart-rendThe blessed Anthony was profoundly
ing.
moved, and suspended his preaching for a few
moments. Then extending his hand towards the
coffin, he cried out in a tone of authority, "In
the name of Christ, young man, arise!" At the
ents.
sound of his voice the young man stirred, tore off
his shroud, and cast himself into the arms of his
parents, who, needless to say,
joy and gratitude.
were
filled
with
32
St.
Anthony and
the Albigenses,
In 1225 he preached in the Church of Montpelier, on a festival day, in presence of the clergy
and a countless multitude. At the beginning of
remembered that he had been
his discourse he
appointed to sing in the choir during the solemn
Mass, which was celebrated at the same hour in
the chapel of the convent, and he had neglected
to delegate some one in his place.
He was deeply
and regarded his
conduct as an infraction of the law of obedience.
afflicted at this forgetfulness,
He bowed
head on the pulpit, and enveloped
himself in his hood, and there remained a long
time motionless and silent, to the great astonishment of all present. At the same time he appeared in the midst of his brethren, sang the
About one hour
Alleluia, and fulfilled his duty.
after he again stood up in the pulpit and continued with incomparable eloquence the sermon he
had only commenced.
Great was the sorrow of our saint one day,
when on entering his cell he perceived that his
"
Commentary on the Psalms" had disappeared.
A novice who had wearied of religious life seNot
cretly took the book and had departed.
he
whom
with
the
theft,
knowing
might charge
as usual he had recourse to prayer, and conjured
his
St.
Him
loss.
to
Anthony and
whom
nothing
is
33
the Albigenses.
hidden to recover his
At the same moment
the fugitive
was
ar-
On
the banks of a river, a
hideous spectre suddenly appeared before him,
and said " In the name of the Lord, restore what
rested in his flight.
:
you have stolen, otherwise I shall kill you and
cast you into the depths of the abyss." The terrified novice retraced his steps, made an avowal
of his faults, and asked for pardon with many
tears, and with such sincerity that St. Anthony
restored him the religious habit with most paternal affection.
The Lord granted him personal
favors, and we shall see further on how he
gained the permanent and universal privilege of
finding things which had been lost.
Anthony preached at a station at Bourges,
and so great was the multitude desiring to hear
him that the churches of the city were unable
to accommodate them.
It was determined to
St.
assemble in the open air, at the foot of a small
eminence. Suddenly the lightning flashed and
the thunder groaned, and the blackened clouds
spread out over the blue vault of heaven until
they had obscured and hidden everything. The
people were terrified and wished to flee and seek
some
shelter.
But Anthony
tranquillized them.
34
St,
Anthony and
"
"Remain
"not
the Albigenses.
in peace,
he said to the assistants,
one drop of rain shall touch you." He con-
he were in the pulpit of the
cathedral.
The storm raged with fury around
the pious assembly, but left untouched the space
tinued to speak as
if
they occupied.
At the arrival of Anthony the war between
and truth, appeased by the preaching of St.
Dominic some years before, was again enkindled and with more bitterness than ever.
His
error
work extended everywhere, when faith was in
danger. During the year 1225 this servant of
God arrived at Toulouse, where he found the
Albigenses in possession of all their
thanks to the protection of Count
Vn.
liberties,
Raymond
Besides, the heretics continued to
teach
and byways, a docwhich saddened the ears of the angels and
their doctrines in the streets
trine
shocked the faith of the Christians.
once with
Anthony
at
began to lead these lost
bosom of truth. Night and day
all his zeal
souls into the
he disputed with the heretics in their presence
he expounded the Catholic teaching with greatest
clearness; he victoriously refuted their preju;
employing such learning as was calculated
to win their admiration, and a charity which
dices,
St.
found
its
Anthony and
way
35
the Alhigenses.
to their hearts
and converted
them.
Among
the errors professed by the Albigenses
of the Real Presence of Our Lord
was the denial
in the blessed Eucharist.
One day
St.
Anthony
on a long discussion on this article of
Catholic faith with an obstinate and influential
carried
heretic of the city.
Being pressed by the solid
and luminous reasons of the apostle, the heretic
seemed to waver, even to the point of giving
homage
to faith.
He
even as the Jews of
stopped short, however,
and asked for mira-
old,
"Prove to me by a public miracle," he
" that Jesus is
said,
really present in the Euchaare
as
rist,
you
striving to establish, and I swear
cles.
you that I shall at once renounce my doctrines,
and humbly submit myself to what you preach."
The challenge was a solemn one another would
have hesitated to accept it. But Anthony, into
;
by the Holy Spirit, tranquilly replied he
would accept it. Then the heretic said " I shall
shut my mule in his stable for three days, and
spired
:
deprive
him
of all food.
When
this time shall
have passed, I will lead him into the public street
and before all the assembled people I will offer
him food
to eat.
But you, on your
part, will
36
St.
Antlwny and
the Albigenses.
bring the consecrated Host, and will present it
to my mule.
If, in spite of his hunger he turns
the food, and prostrates himself on
both knees before your sacrament, I shall be con-
away from
and declare myself a Catholic. " Anthony
consented to this proposition and departed. He
vinced,
prepared himself by prayer to avenge Jesus for
the outrages inflicted on Him by the impiety of
the Manicheans. He asked of God to draw from
the slavery of error so many simple souls, over
whom
the torrent of opinion triumphed, and led
At length the day of trial
far from His Church.
came, and the heretic came to the appointed
place, followed by a large number who hoped to
enjoy the confusion of the Franciscan apostle.
The heretic led his mule by the bridle, and also
carried the food which he
knew would be
so wel-
During this time Anthony celebrated
Mass with even greater fervor than ordinary.
When he had finished he turned towards the scene
where the power of Heaven was soon to be manifested.
The saint held in his hands the golden
ostensorium, in the centre of which reposed the
come.
Lamb who
takes
away
the sins of the world.
Behind him walked many of the faithful, reciting
prayers and hymns, impatient to see what would
St.
happen.
Anthony and
the Albigenses.
When Anthony was
37
in the presence of
he stopped and recollected himself
for an instant; then he imposed silence on the
his adversary,
multitude, and turning to the mule thus spoke to
him "In the name of thy Creator, whom I truly
:
carry in
my hands,
in spite of
my unworthiness,
animal deprived of reason, and I
command thee, to come at once with humility
and do Him the reverence which you owe Him."
I
say to thee,
At the same moment the owner of the mule presented him with food to eat.
But,
prodigy!
the beast turned away from his food, and, obedient to the voice of the wonder-worker, fell to the
earth on both knees and remained in this position
immovable.
The
people, breathless with wonder,
and cries of
The
were
from
one.
heretics
joy escaped
every
cast on the ground where they stood, while the
one who had provoked the miracle fell on his
knees and adored in a loud voice the august
Mystery, which a moment before he had called a
He afterwards became an apostle,
superstition.
back
to
the truth his whole family, and
brought
constructed, at his own expense, a church which
could not contain their enthusiasm
;
he dedicated to St. Peter. His descendants, to
add to his gratitude, and to perpetuate the
38
memory
St. AntJiony
and
the Albigenses.
of the miracle, built a chapel on
the
very spot where the miracle had been wrought.
It was at Toulouse that the Blessed Virgin aptell him that three days
had been transported into
heaven, body and soul, and that since that blessed
day she was seated in glory at the right hand of
peared to our saint to
after her death she
Jesus, her Son.
At
this
epoch the belief in the
assumption of Mary was not so strong as to-day.
Anthony felt his heart expand with love for the
Virgin Mother, which was not a new thing for
him, but strengthened by the visit of the Virgin
he proclaimed her glory everywhere.
CHAPTER
ANTHONY
&S.
IS
VI.
APPOINTED CUSTODIAN OF
LIMOGES.
A short time after Anthony left Toulouse and
went to the convent of Puy-en-Velay, of which he
had been appointed guardian. The city of Puy
and the country round about soon knew the
apostle, whose fame had already preceded him.
Le Velay was not able to escape the invasion of
heresy
but Anthony soon arrested the ravages
;
of error.
He
them, until
pated them.
religion
people,
employed all his energy to combat
he had destroyed and radically extir-
At the sound
awakened
who
of his voice the true
in the hearts of these brave
hastened in crowds to listen to his
His mission here was easy. From
preaching.
the beginning to the end there were constant
miracles and prophecies, conversions and providential circumstances which rendered his mis-
most fruitful.
The first remarkable
sions
fact
39
was the conversion
40
Appointed Custodian of Limoges.
of a notary, a
man
of lax morals
and of violent
Every time that Anthony met him
and bowed profoundly before him. Irritated by what he regarded as a mockery, the notary avoided meeting
character.
in the streets the saint stopped
his supposed insulter.
One day, seeing the
saint
knee before him, he angrily said:
bending
" What do
you mean by these grimaces? Did I
his
not fear the anger of God, I would pierce you
with my sword." "My brother," Anthony replied, in a voice as calm and sweet as becomes a
"I desire your happiness.
but
Our Lord does not so
martyrdom,
yet He has revealed to me that He has
disciple of St. Francis,
I wish for
will
it
—
reserved this grace for you.
When
this blessed
hour shall come for you, remember, I beg of you,
him who foretold it to you. " The notary laughed
uproariously at what he considered a senseless
Some
years after, however, Stephen
bishop of Puy, set out with a troop of pilgrims to visit the holy places and to carry the
prediction.
III.,
torch of faith to the East.
by grace and resolved
The notary, touched
to repair his scandals,
joined the pious caravan.
Having arrived at
he
did
his faith, and
not
fear
to
assert
Palestine,
cry out to the Mussulmans that
Mahomet was
Appointed Custodian of Limoges.
41
For this he was arrested and
condemned to death. As he walked to the scaffold he remembered the prophecy of Anthony,
and spoke of it to the Franciscans who exhorted
him to be brave in his martyrdom.
On another day, in the same city of Puy, a
lady of quality, about to become a mother, recommended herself to the prayers of St. Anthony.
only an impostor.
by sudden inspiration;
"the Lord will give you a son who shall be a
member of the Friars Minor, and he shall be a
The
martyr and illustrious in the Church."
"Rejoice," he replied, as
prediction
was
if
fulfilled literally.
His was a magnanimous
soul,
which stopped
at no personal consideration, an intrepid missionary who did not hesitate to speak the truth to
great and small, to prelates as well as to the
simple faithful, when the honor of the Church or
the good of souls required it.
Wherever he went
the people obeyed his words, sinners were reconciled,
vocations became numerous, and the ardor
of the apostolic life burned with all its original
brightness.
In the month of September, 1226, Anthony
suspended for a time his apostolical labors to
assist,
with the other superiors in France, at the
42
Appointed Custodian of Limoges,
provincial chapter of Aries.
Both old and young
eagerly gathered about him and regarded him as
the glory of their Order.
They congratulated
him for the strong blows he had given to the
hydra-headed heresy of
the
Albigenses.
But
at all flattered by their warm
even as the patriarch of Assisi, his
Anthony was not
compliments
model, he referred everything to God.
Talents and heavenly favors and
;
personal
recommended the Portuguese wonderworker to the suffrages of his brethren. They
elected him custodian of Limoges unanimously,
that is to say, superior of two or three convents
in the city.
But Anthony was equal to the task
merits
assigned him.
A fortnight after his election, on the fourth day
of October, 1226, the patriarch and founder of the
Franciscan Order gave up his pure soul to God.
Anthony
inherited with the mantle of Francis
not only a part of his authority, but his virtues,
his humility, his mildness,
and
his zeal.
CHAPTER
VII.
THE WONDER-WORKER AT LIMOGES.
The
city of
Limoges gave the wonder-worker
one of those triumphal receptions which explains
the faith of that epoch.
The people wished to
see him, to hear him, to touch the
hem
of his
garments. He had scarcely set foot in the city
before he preached in the cemetery of St. Paul.
On the following day it was the abbey itself
which claimed his presence. The Benedictines
of Mount Soubase had respectfully received the
seraphic patriarch, and had furnished him with
his first
Their brethren of
place of prayer.
surrounded the privileged disciple with
Limoges
the same veneration, and extended him equal
His coming to their monastery is
assistance.
mentioned as an event. The guardian, however,
did not neglect the direction of the religious confided to his care.
He strengthened the good,
enkindled ardor in the slothful, and had pity for
the wavering. One of this latter class, a novice
43
The Wonder- Worker
44
at Limoges.
named
Peter, discouraged for the
tempted to return to the world.
moment, was
The saint was
warned by a revelation of the temptation and the
of
the novice.
interior
agonies
went
him and, breathing on him,
to
St.
Anthonysaid,
"Ke-
ceive the spirit of strength and wisdom." The
novice at once fell to the ground as if dead, while
was ravished by ecstasy and transported
the
When he reamong
splendors of heaven.
covered his senses he wished to speak of the
his soul
heavenly wonders his soul had contemplated, but
the saint hindered him. The temptation had
passed away and the novice became an exemplary
religious.
At Limoges
his preaching excited an indescribable enthusiasm.
It became necessary to preach
in the open air, for no church was large enough
to contain the multitudes that flocked to hear
him.
To true and
loyal souls
who asked
the assist-
ance of his prayers, the wonder-worker refused
The following is a striking example:
nothing.
A certain lady of Limoges who was a great benefactress of the Friars
was one day
severely re-
In a fit of anger
far
as
and jealousy he went so
to tear out her
proached for
it
by her husband.
TJie
heir.
Wonder-Worker at Limoges,
43
Sorrowfully she sought the wonder-worker,
what had happened, and asked him to
related
restore her hair.
The request seemed somewhat
Anthony, and a smile which looked
like a refusal played about his lips.
But, touched
the
tears
of
the
he
cast
himself
on his
by
lady,
knees, and while he prayed the hair grew
again, as if under the action of an invisible
singular to St.
hand.
But what was still more remarkable,
the husband, struck by this marvel, repented,
was reconciled with his wife, and vowed to the
Franciscans an affection which lasted his
life-
time.
At Limoges
the
name
of St.
Anthony was
hailed with delight, and this admiration spread
to the whole region.
All the cities of Limousin disputed the honor
of the wonder-worker's company.
He yielded to
their requests
when he
could, taxing his strength
without ever considering difficulties, and sowing
miracles at every footstep.
At St. Julien he predicted that the improvised
which he spoke would be overthrown,
but, notwithstanding the efforts of Satan, no
serious result would follow.
The prediction was
fulfilled.
The staging fell in the tumult at the
pulpit from
The Wonder-Worker
46
at Limoges.
beginning of his discourse, but no one was
in*
jured.
By a
spiritual favor St.
Anthony recompensed
the abbey of Solignac for the generous hospitality the sons of St. Benedict had shown him.
A
monk of the monastery, tempted like St.
Paul by the demon of impurity, could find no
rest either day or night.
He opened his soul to
the powerful wonder-worker, who clothed him
with his tunic. The shadow of St. Peter healed
the sick, the robe of St. Anthony was no less
poor
From this robe, sanctified by contact
with a virginal flesh, went out a virtue which
appeased the storm of the senses and delivered
efficacious.
forever the
monk
kneeling at his feet.
Again, there was a poor sinner so
stifled by
emotion and repentance for his faults that he
could not speak so as to make his confession.
"Go," said the saint, "and write your sins on a
The penitent obeyed; he
returned in about an hour, bringing a sheet wet
with tears and containing a long list of his sins.
But as fast as he declared them an angel effaced
them, and when he reached the end the page was
white and without stain.
sheet of parchment."
Everywhere, in the
cities
as well as in the
The Wonder- Worker at Limoges.
47
country, the invincible champion of God's rights
created extraordinary interest.
People from all
ranks of society sought him out.
All sorrows,
appealed to him.
whether physical or moral,
Every one blessed him, but especially the lonely,
the homeless, the sick, and sinners.
It must be mentioned that mothers were especially anxious, and women in general were most
Endowed with religious
enthusiastic about him.
deeper than that of men, the women
eagerly pressed about his pulpit to assist him in
his poverty, or to defend him against the caluminstinct
nies of the Manicheans.
them
In return he consoled
weakness, blessed their children, and lavished on them
the most splendid miracles. These were most
touching because they referred to what was most
in their sorrows, strengthened their
—a mother's sorrow.
sensitive
It is related that
a
woman who was
preparing
child, on learning that the saint
had arrived in the village, hastened to hear and
a bath for her
see him.
In her haste she placed her
little
child
in a boiler of scalding water instead of in a bath
of tepid water.
On returning from the sermon,
she had a presentiment of her mistake.
She ran,
more dead than alive, and found her son in the
The Woixder-Worker
48
at Limoges.
boiling water, it is true, but smiling and without
the slightest injury. In another place a lady, on
returning from an instruction given by the apostle at
Limousin, found her child dead in its cradle.
imagine the mother's sorrow at a catas-
We can
trophe so cruel and so unexpected.
A thought
of hope, however, crossed her mind.
Perhaps
the powerful wonder-worker would restore her
child!
She returned to him weeping, but confident, and
from her broken heart escaped
maternal cry
"
:
My
son
is
dead
!
Have
this
pity
on
the tears of a mother!"
"Go," answered the
an inspired tone, "the good Lord will
have pity on you." She believed his word,
returned in haste, and found her son not only
alive but in all the vigor and freshness of his
saint, in
young
life,
amusing himself with
his
little
toys.
was amid
these wonders, and many simithat the apostle went through the
neighborhood of Limoges. He scattered graces
It
lar ones,
and heavenly favors, even as the husbandmen
sow the seed, with full hands, until the people
spoke of him in their picturesque language as the
sower of miracles.
And when he had finished his mission in one
49
place ne continued his course, walking through
the frost and snow barefoot, always unmindful
of himself, always in search of the lost sheep.
The consoler of souls, he was himself consoled by
not infresight of the good he had done them
he
the
and
shared
with
mingled
quently
people
;
their joys
and sorrows.
One day he entered the house of a rich and
pious man who had offered him the hospitality of
manor. This man hardly suspected the grace
which he was about to enjoy. The gentleman
assigned him a room separated from the others,
that he might have more freedom in his exercises
of piety and contemplation.
While the blessed
alone
in
his
chamber
the propriAnthony prayed
etor visited the tenants of the manor.
Suddenly
his solicitude and his devotion for the saint
prompted him to look towards the place where he
prayed through the window he saw in the arms
of Anthony a child of great beauty who embraced
him with tenderness. The saint, on his part,
returned the caresses and kisses; and not for
an instant did he take his eyes from the beautiful
child.
Pale with emotion, and beside himself at
!;he sight and the beauty of the child, the gentleman asked himself whence the charming little
his
;
The Wonder-Worker at Limoges.
50
one had come.
sion
;
He was
not the victim of an
illu-
was a
real-
the spectacle which he witnessed
The
Anthony was conyexginîntinâteiy„wifch^ Jesus, the Son of God and of the
Virgin, who had come from heaven to console
His servant. The mere mention of the name of
^^^-îty.
blessed
Jesus caused his heart to beat with joy now he
conversed with Him face to face, as with a friend,
and with touching familiarity. In his humility
;
he seemed embarrassed by the miracle which had
He could not, however, conceal
just happened.
it from his host, for the Holy Infant Jesus re-
man had seen. This
had
disappeared, he forwhy,
bade his host to reveal what he had seen as long
as he lived.
But after the death of the blessed
vealed to Anthony what the
after the Infant
is
Anthony the gentleman divulged the
secret of
He made the deposithe vision just recorded.
tion solemnly while shedding torrents of tears.
From
^
time Anthony strove to show the
Heart of Jesus as the principle of supernatural
life; as the golden altar on which burns night
this
and day the incense which
clouds towards heaven and
He
felt especially
arises in odoriferous
embalms the
earth.
an insatiable desire to adore, to
God and
thank, and to annihilate himself before
51
remain alone with Him. From Chateauneuf,
where he had just enjoyed the vision described,
he went to Brive. There he found in the neighborhood of the city a kind of desert where he
to
founded a hermitage like Mount St. Paul. He
dug out a grotto in the rock near a fountain of
limpid water, and abandoned himself to the deIn this solitude he eslights of contemplation.
tablished three or four postulants who had left
the world in order to be near him. After his de-
Wonders accompaparture he left them there.
nied him even in the desert.
His poverty there
was extreme; everything was wanting except
courage and the love of God. In a moment of
distress the venerated
Brive to assist
guardian asked a lady of
the little community and to send
some vegetables. This she did gladly, in spite of
a severe and persistent rain-storm, which was
enough to paralyze the most energetic good-will ;
yet she charged her servant to carry the treasures
of her charity to the hermitage.
On her return
the faithful messenger related to her mistress
with admiration that she had walked all the way
in the
heavy
rain,
and that not a single drop
reached her.
This fact reminds us that nothing
is
small
The Wonder-Worker at Limoges.
52
which is done in a spirit of faith, and the good
Lord never fails to recompense, whether it be
sublime devotion or the cup of cold water given
in His name.
home
There
the air is pure, peace most profound, and converse with God most easy.
It is not astonishing
Solitude
is
the
of strong souls.
that the angel of darkness, this abiding enemy of
human race, seeks to disturb the echoes, es-
the
pecially
when he has
him apostles who
One evening during
before
take from him his victims.
the prayer which follows the song of compline,
the companions of St. Anthony saw a band of
thieves occupied in destroying the harvest of a
neighboring field which belonged to one of the
principal benefactors of the convent.
They ran
to warn the blessed Anthony.
He said to them
:
"Be
not deceived.
demon, who
This
is
an
artifice
of the
you away from the
exercise of the presence of God." Early on the
following day the harvest was intact, and the
religious were again witness of in what large
measure the soul of their superior was adorned
by the
strives to turn
gifts of the
Holy
Spirit.
CHAPTER
ST.
VIII.
ANTHONY LEAVES FRANCE.
No
one wept more bitterly for the loss of the
seraphic Francis of Assisi than St. Anthony. No
one prayed with more fervor, that from the
highest heaven he would still watch over his
children and place at their head another like
himself, a man capable of organizing and guid-
ing an institution so necessary for the welfare of
the Church.
He was charged by his brethren
with a special and secret mission to the Supreme
Pontiff, a mission relating probably to the candidature of Father Elie, from whom was feared innovations and laxities which ought to be avoided.
He
Limoges in February, 1227, for the banks
Rhone and journeyed towards Marseilles.
This voyage was rapidly accomplished, and was
left
of the
signalized by a marvellous act of gratitude.
When he and his companion, covered with
sweat and tired out, reached a little town of
Provence, a poor woman, touched by compassion,
53
54
St.
Anthony Leaves France.
them to come and rest at her house. She
received them as generously as Martha received
Our Lord at Bethany. Impelled by charity, she
invited
placed bread and wine on the table, and ran to
borrow a glass from her neighbor. But, either
through inadvertence or awkwardness, the com-
panion of the saint, in placing the glass on the
Then another
table, broke it in two pieces.
more unfortunate happened; the
saw that she
had forgotten to close the spigot of the cask, and
the wine had flowed on the ground.
This was a
severe loss for her. She could not contain her
grief, and informed her two guests of what had
happened. The blessed Anthony, covering his
face with both hands that he might pray more
easily, implored the Author of all good to have
accident
still
hostess, in returning to the cellar,
pity on the affliction of such a generous Christian, and not allow her good work to go unre-
His prayer ascended like an arrow to
the very throne of God. Suddenly the cup and
the stand of the glass were united. The poor
warded.
peasant was astonished at
this,
but realizing that
miracle, and persuaded that he who
could perform such a prodigy could also perform
another and restore to her the lost wine, she ran
it
was a
St.
55
There a new surprise awaited her.
was full and running over as if
Her
from the wine-press. Delirious with joy, and
to the cellar.
cask of wine
beside herself, she
knew not how
to express her
But always humble, detached from
and
from himself, the wonder-worker
everything
shrunk from the praises and the marks of veneration which he considered should be given only
gratitude.
to God.
The prayers
of a saint are powerful, and his
benedictions a germ of resurrection and of life.
The Albigensian heresy, a work of perfidy and
violence, was to disappear, even as the darkness
disappears before the first rays of the morning
Truth must regain its empire, and, in the
sun.
words of St. Louis, France would attain the fulness of her glory.
France, on her part,
is
not
She gives him a
Dominic in the devo-
ungrateful to St. Anthony.
place side by side with St.
tion, the honor, and the admiration she gives to
her deliverers, to those chosen men whom Provi-
dence sends her in wicked times to save her from
anarchy and
error.
Eome, at the time when the blessed Anthony
went there, was preparing to celebrate the feasts
of Holy Week.
These feasts are more imposing
St Anthony Leaves
56
France.
any place else in the world. The
are crowded with strangers of every
tongue and country. The churches are adorned
with their richest decorations. What a source
there than
streets
of pure and strengthening emotions it must have
been for the son of Theresa Tavera to see Rome,
to visit her in the midst of that religious
pomp
which surpasses everything here on earth to go
through the places sanctified by the presence of
;
the patriarch of Assisi
!
Unknown, mingling in the crowd of pilgrims,
Anthony was free to satisfy every wish of devoand could taste of those legitimate joys
which inspire great and holy memories.
He
could do all this quietly, and yet not without
tion,
being remarked. Seeing him pray with so much
fervor at the tomb of the Apostles, or kiss with
—
respect the arena of the Coliseum this arena
stained by the blood of so many martyrs the
pilgrims asked in astonishment
monk
The
—
who was
this
of angelic appearance.
chair of St. Peter was at that time filled
by a Pope most favorable to the Franciscans,
Gregory IX., the friend, the protector, and the
He was
counsellor of the patriarch of Assisi.
not content with merely receiving the homage
St.
57
and the
petitions of the privileged disciple of St.
Learning by public
Francis; he went farther.
rumor of the
virtues and the merits of the
won-
der-worker from Portugal, he selected him to
announce to the people the indulgences of the
Holy Week, and
also to preach
the
crusade
against the infidels. The order came from a
source too high for the blessed Anthony to an-
swer otherwise than by a filial submission.
This was done to stir up the masses. And he
certainly did stir them by the magic of his words
and by his sanctity. He led them in the bitter
pathways of penance, and instituted at Rome
—a confra-
the Confraternity of the Flagellants
ternity which had for its object to honor the mysteries of the Passion and to expiate the iniquities
men.
The day of Easter witnessed the renewal of the
miracle of Pentecost. An innumerable multi-
of
tude eagerly pressed about the saints pulpit.
Greeks and Latins, Slavs, French, English, and
Germans, all heard him distinctly speaking, each
in his
St.
own
tongue.
Anthony made giant
strides in the
way
of
the apostolate. Nothing could arrest him, neither
the acclamations of the pilgrims nor the wonders
St Anthony Leaves
58
of art.
France.
by the blessing of Gregory IX.,
he left the eternal city on the day following the
paschal feast, and turned his steps to Assisi.
When he beheld this little city, the home of
St. Francis, suspended like an eagle's nest on
Fortified
Mount Soubase, his heart beat vioAt
lently.
length he could at leisure satisfy his
filial devotion for him whom he invoked as a
To visit the Portiuncula, the cradle of the
saint.
Order, Our Lady of Angels, the scene of the apthe side of
paritions of the Virgin Mother, the cell which
had received the last sigh of the seraphic patriHe
arch, was one of the sweetest joys of his life.
went
to the ancient city and entered the church
of St. George, where the mortal remains of the
founder rested
temporarily.
Anthony closely
his
of
to
the
stone
the tomb, and
lips
pressed
there prayed for a long time.
His prayers and
had no small bearing on the result
of the Chapter General of Assisi, which chose
John Parent of Florence, a man of eminent
mind, of frank and loyal character, as the immediate successor of St. Francis.
Anthony was
his sacrifices
named
provincial of Bologna.
CHAPTER
ST.
ANTHONY
IN ITALY
IX.
—THE
MIRACLE OF THE
FISHES.
As
soon as Anthony had regulated the affairs
of his province he took up the cross and hastened
to the people who had been captured by heresy
and Germany. They
were the Cathares, or Patarins, who were very
numerous in Roumania and in Emilia the Cirin Italy, as well as in France
;
the Vaudois, entrenched in
the Milanese and in the mountains of Piedmont.
concis in
Lombardy
;
These sects were only varieties of the same heresy
with which the Albigenses connected themselves,
and they made great inroads
in the south of
France.
Faithful to his old methods, Anthony commenced by protecting the poor people against the
seductions of the Manichean heresies.
The lowly
were dear to him. To him they were the cherished lambs of the flock of Christ.
He led them
to the pastures of the true faith.
60
He quenched
St Anthony
60
in Italy.
their thirst at the pure and sacred sources
flowed from the opened side of the Saviour.
which
But,
good shepherd, he did not take flight at
the coming of the wolves who raged about the
like the
^>
flock.
He went out to meet them and endeavored
to subdue them.
Rimini had become the camp of the Cathares.
A man less resolute than Anthony would have
hesitated to enter into this discontented and rebellious city.
He, however, enters
decided to announce the
word
it,
having
of truth, in season
and out of season, to convict the shameless sectarians of error and perfidy, and to threaten them
with the judgments of God. But his eloquence,
usually so attractive, from his frank and courageous manner, produced no effect. The Cathares, angered at the zeal with which he attacked
them, would not yield, even so far as listening to
him. They remained harder than stones; not
content with refusing to give ear to his reason-
him to preach by himself.
But Anthony was not discouraged. He turned
ing, they left
his eyes towards heaven.
In prayer he shed abundant tears until the inspiration of grace came to
his aid.
He conceived the idea of preaching to
the sea, since the earth responded so badly to the
St Anthmy
61
in Italy.
appeals of his charity. By bringing man to a
school of dumb irrational creatures, he wished to
lesson.
He hoped to take
all
their
influence over
from
the
Cathares
away
the people since they would not yield to maniGod sustained the faith of His
fest truth.
give
him a solemn
apostle.
Anthony then went
St.
where the
Standing there, between
he cried out in a loud
river flows into the sea.
to the shore
the river and the sea,
" Hear
voice
me, ye fishes of the sea.
It is to
:
you that I
am
about to announce the
Word
of
God, since the heretics refuse to listen to it."
At the sound of his voice the waters trembled
the countless tribes which inhabit them hastened
;
to range themselves as if in battle array, the
smallest in front, the largest in the rear, with
every head turned towards him who had called
them. "My brethren/ said the wonder-worker
'
to them,
"you owe your Creator a boundless
gratitude.
He
it is
reservoirs.
He
it is
who has
assigned to you as
a dwelling this noble element and these immense
who
provides for your refuge
in tempests the depths of the waters, gives you
fins to go whither you will, and furnishes you
wUh
your daily food.
In creating you
He
has
62
St.
Antlwny in
Italy.
commanded you to increase and multiply and
blessed you.
At the universal deluge, while
other animals perished in the floods,
He preserved
you. He honored you by selecting you to save
the prophet Jonas, to furnish tribute to the In-
carnate Word, and to serve Him as nourishment
Then
before, as well as after, His resurrection.
praise
and
bless the
Lord who has favored you
created beings."
among
Attentive, as if they had been endowed with
all
reason, the fishes testified
by
their
movements
the pleasure they took in listening to the saint,
to render to the Most High
and that they wished
the
mute
tribute of their
homage.
"See," said
the apostle, turning to the multitudes, "see for
yourselves how creatures devoid of reason hear
the
Word with more
docility
than
men
created
to God's likeness."
When
was reported
hastened to An-
the news of this wonder
the inhabitants of the city
The Cathares themselves
thony.
all
the
of
yielded to
were witnesses
popular enthusiasm, and
the dominion which the apostle
exercised
The spectacle touched them, and
of the wonder-worker, they
at
the
feet
falling
of
to
him
instruct and enlighten them.
begged
over the sea.
St Anthony
Thus they came
63
in Italy.
of their
own accord, anticiAt last the faithful
pating his own desires.
rejoiced; the heretics opened their eyes to the
splendors of the faith.
During this time the
and applauded in their own way
without departing. They seemed as if awaiting
fishes listened
the blessing of the saint before resuming the libHe blessed them, dismissed
erty of their sports.
them, and at once they dispersed in every direction,
according to the instincts which guide them
in the waters.
The wonder-worker remained
several
weeks at
Rimini to reap the fruits of his victory. They
were most abundant. One of the principal leaders
of the sect
named
Bouvilla,
bound
for thirty
years in the bonds of heresy, publicly retracted
his errors.
His abjuration was most remarkable,
and he was followed by most of
his co-religion-
ists.
Some
of them, however, furious at their defeat, resolved to be avenged by poisoning their
They invited the apostle to dinner,
and gave him poisoned meat to eat. The saint,
who knew by revelation of the infernal plot which
they had planned against his life, reproached
them. They were not in the least disconcerted*
adversary.
€4
St.
Anthony in
Italy.
and adding irony to their cruelty, they endeavored to ensnare him by a dilemma from which
he could not escape, so they thought, without
admitting he was conquered. "Either you believe in the Gospel or
you do
you believe
in it, why do you doubt the accomplishment of
the prophecy of your Master who promised that
His disciples should cast out demons, and poisons
should not injure them? If you do not believe
in the truth of the Gospel why do you preach it?
Take this poison and if it does not injure you, we
swear to you to embrace the Catholic faith."
"I will do it," replied the intrepid missionary;
"not to tempt God, but to prove to you how
much I have at heart the salvation of your souls
and the triumph of the Gospel." Then making
the sign of the cross on the poisoned meats, he
ate them without experiencing the least inconvenience and the angels inscribed in the golden
book of the elect a new victory and new names.
The heretics kept their word, and, sincere and
not.
If
;
convinced, re-entered the fold of the Catholic
Church.
The wonder-worker had entered Rimini saddened and in tears; he left it amid popular ovations.
All the people accompanied him to the
St.
Anthony in
65
Italy.
where he embarked for Illyria, and the reconciled Cathares were not the least enthusiastic
port,
in their acclamations.
He traversed the Adriatic,
landing on the shores of Illyria, and evangelized
all the seashore of the gulf of Trieste, from
to Venice, passing
Aquilla
Gemona, and Conegliano.
by Goritz, Udine,
Here he attacked the
Patarins in their last entrenchments; there he
restored to the degenerate Christians the integral
faith of their baptism.
Anthony was at Gemona, near
Udine. He had accepted a foundation in that
city, and he himself superintended the work of
The
blessed
Seeing a peasant passing near the
lumber-yard in a cart drawn by two oxen, he
asked him to lend his cart to carry some bricks
construction.
The peasant answered it was " imHe was not inclined to give grapossible."
tuitous service.
"I am carrying a dead man,"
and lumber.
he
said.
dead
He
told a falsehood, for the pretended
man was
his
own
son
who was
lying asleep
Shortly after the peasant endeavored to awaken his son to tell him how he had
in the cart.
fooled the
He had
when he
5
monk-mason.
But he
tried in vain.
spoken the truth without knowing it,
said he carried a dead man.
At the
66
Anthony in
St.
sight of the corpse he
He
was
Italy.
and
and oxen and ran
seized with fear
left his cart
repentance.
to cast himself at the feet of the wonder-worker,
conjuring him to pardon his falsehood and restore
him
his son.
something sacred.
The sorrow of a father is
The saint returned with the
peasant to the funeral cart, made the sign of the
cross on the corpse, and gave his hand to the
young man now
restored to life
do good to those who do
geance of the saints.
On the first of
Gemona and
and health.
evil to
you
is
To
the ven-
left
the following year the apostle
travelled rapidly through Tre-
vise
and Venice, as he was anxious to see his con-
vent and his brethren at Padua.
CHAPTER
ST.
Padua
is
X.
ANTHONY AT PADUA.
the scene in which
God wished
to
manifest the most abundant treasures of grace
with which He had enriched the soul of His ser-
Padua
vant.
will bear his
name
in the records
From Padua
But Anthony is not thinking of this. On looking out upon the city he
thought of the ravages which the heretics had
wrought in it. Then his heart was moved with
compassion and yearned for the people. He
wished to lead back the wandering children and
warm them at the fireside of the charity of Jesus
of the Order of the Friars Minor.
he receives his name.
Christ.
He
arrived at
Padua with the reputation of a
and of an incomparable orator, and at a
most opportune moment. As Ash Wednesday
was at hand, and the Lenten time was about to
saint
the bishop of Padua entreated him to
preach the Lenten devotions. The apostle yielded
open,
67
#8
St.
Anthony at Padwa.
to the wish of the prelate,
the work at once.
and put
his
hand to
This station proved most fruitful in conversions
and miracles.
Although sick and suffering, Anthony preached every day, and in the ardor of
his faith and his charity seemed to gain super-
The people came to his serand from villages several
miles around. The roads were lined with pilgrims, anxious to hear the eloquent voice whose
•accents aroused the world.
More than thirty
natural strength.
mons from all the
cities
thousand persons pressed about the pulpit of the
wonder-worker bishops, prelates, religious of all
;
orders, the clergy and nobility of Padua regarded
it as an honor to assist at his sermons.
They
listened in silence
man
arrived.
At
and
when
the holy
his approach not a sound, not
recollection
a breath was heard every eye was fixed on him
with anxious curiosity. His face was beautiful
but pale, and bore marks of suffering.
When
;
he spoke every
soul received with happiness the
scattered and sowed
heavenly seed which he
among them, and when he left the pulpit, had
not some strong men protected him from the
demonstrations of respect and admiration of
the multitude, he would have certainly fallen
St.
tinder the weight of
and
6$
Anthony at Padua.
their transports of faith
love.
To speak of the results of this last preaching
well-nigh impossible. Heretics were converted,
the most hardened sinners led back to the pracis
tice of good, prisoners set free,
the sick healed, etc.
the poor assisted,
Such are the new
titles
which won for Anthony the veneration of men.
In the great city of Padua, where the clergy
were so numerous, there were not enough priests
to hear the confessions of the faithful.
took place every day.
poor
man
afflicted
both
One day the
carrying his little
Miracles
saint
with epileptic fits and was deformed in
The sorrowing father approached the
feet.
saint, and, laying the child at his feet,
him
met a
daughter who was
begged
make
the sign of the cross over her.
Touched by the poor man's faith, the saint blessed
the sufferer with the sign of the cross, and sheto
was immediately
cured.
At another time a
noble lady, on returning from a sermon, fell into
a deep and muddy ditch and arose without acci-
She had recommended herself to God,
through the merits of the apostle. At another
time twenty-two robbers came, in the middle of
dent.
the sermon, to cast themselves at the feet of the
70
St.
Anthony at Padua.
saint, giving every sign of
asking pardon for their
woman,
had been
a true conversion and
And
iniquities.
as virtuous as she
was
again, a
beautiful,
who
by her husband in a paroxysm of
by the saint, who
jealousy,
made the sign of the cross over her. One day a
lady, who was prevented by her husband from
assisting at the sermon, went to her room, and
from her window distinctly heard all the words
slain
was
recalled to life
of the preacher, although she
tant.
Again, while the saint
youth,
was very far diswas at Padua, a
named Leonardo, accused himself
fession of having, in a
fit
in con-
of passion, kicked his
Wish-
mother so violently as to throw her down.
ing to
mity
make the young man understand
of his offence, St.
Anthony
the enor-
said to
him:
" The foot that kicks father or mother deserves
to be cut off."
The
penitent,
who was
of a
weak
mind, understood these words literally, and going
home, actually took a hatchet and chopped off
his foot.
The news
of this unfortunate occur
rence soon spread throughout the city, and coming to St. Anthony's ears, he hurried to the
youth's home. Making the sign of the cross
over the mutilated limb, the saint applied the
dismembered foot to the stump, when they im-
AntJwny at Padua,
St.
71
mediately joined and healed without leaving a
scar.
St. Anthony spread peace about him, even as
He gave peace to
the rose spreads its perfume.
He did not, howsouls that were severely tried.
always keep this privilege for himself, since
the angel of darkness frequently made fierce and
ever,
terrible assaults
One night, at the bedemon appeared to him in a
him by the throat, and en-
on him.
ginning of Lent, the
visible form, seized
deavored to strangle him. Anthony at once invoked her who is more terrible than an army in
battle array:
"0
glorious Sovereign!" Hardly
had he pronounced these words when the enemy
of
man
took his departure.
The Queen of Heaven visibly blessed the zeal
and the efforts of her devoted servant. The
Lenten services had been remarkable for wonders of every kind.
The feasts of Easter were a
worthy crowning for them. Padua celebrated
the triumph of Christ. She sang also the triumph of Anthony and the renovation of souls.
CHAPTER
XI.
GENERAL CHAPTER OP
summer
In the course of the
the blessed
Anthony
ASSISI.
set
of the year 1228
out for Bologna, the
He
place of his residence.
which was on the way.
stopped at Ferrara,
There our hero had not
combat heresy but only to uproot the vices
which dishonor faith, and wherever they are
found invariably increase the number of fallen
humanity. The church of Saint Mary del Vado
was his chosen sanctuary and the principal scene
to
of his preachings.
He praised, with his heart
full of gratitude, the eminent prerogatives of her
whose beauty he had seen in his ecstasies. As
he advanced in his apostolic career, his devotion
to
Mary
more
increased and his confidence
became
unalterable.
In the meantime, our saint received from the
General of the Order, John Parent, the difficult
mission of establishing peace in Florence, which
was torn by two rival factions. Two powerful
7$
73
General Chapter of Assist.
families disputed
acy,
among themselves
and transformed the
for
suprem-
city into a vast
and
often bloody arena, to the great prejudice of justice
and
liberty.
Anthony obeyed
all
the instruc-
He
hastened to Florence,
and there preached during the Advent of 1228
and the Lent of the following year, and during
tions of the General.
this long sojourn exercised all the resources of
his zeal to extinguish the fire of civil war.
One day he had accepted an
invitation
to
preach at the obsequies of one of the dignitaries
He selected as his text the words of
of Florence.
the Gospel, " Where thy treasure is, there is thy
heart also." All at once he stopped.
He had
beheld the soul of the departed one in the flames
of hell, the just chastisement of his usurious injustices
and
his exactions.
"This rich
man
is
dead," he said, in a voice slow and grave, "'and
he is buried in hell
Go and open his strong box
!
and you will find his heart there. " The relatives
and friends were astounded and overwhelmed by
They hastened to the house of
the dead man, and discovered, as the saint had
the statement.
said, the still
warm heart
of the departed lying in
the midst of his golden pieces.
The scene was at
once tragic and sad. The minds of all were
74
opened by the thought of eternity. The rival
families put aside their arms, and concluded a
peace, which, unfortunately,
duration.
was only
of short
After the Lent of 1229 Anthony visited the
made new founda-
convents of his province ; he
and preached from place to place in LomAt Varese and at Brescia the saint
bardy.
tions
new homes of Franciscan life. At Milan,
at Verona, and at Mantua, he applied himself
particularly to the conversion of the Vaudois, and
created
had the happiness
to receive very
many
abjura-
tions of heresy.
In 1228,
St.
less
than two years after the death of
Francis, the Supreme Pontiff, Gregory IX.,
his triumphal entry into Assisi, es-
had made
corted by cardinals, bishops, mitred abbots, and
He had placed on
pilgrims from every country.
of
the head
the great monastic reformer the
crown of the saints, and had ordered Father Elie
to construct a basilica
was
worthy of the treasure
it
In the spring of 1230 the basilica was ready, and on the 25th of May it was
opened by the pontifical commission and received
to contain.
the sacred bones of the seraphic patriarch, temporarily placed in the church of St. George.
75
General Clwupter of Assisi.
The provincial of
his apostolical labors
Bologna was prevented by
from assisting at the feasts
of the canonization.
relics
was
in a
The
translation
measure a compensation.
of
the
He was
happy again to see the brethren, to venerate
the relics of the holy founder, to cast himself at
the feet of his immediate successor, John Parent,
and to tell him how peaceful Florence, the pearl
so
had become.
The ceremonies of translation took place with
great pomp and magnificence, and was enriched
of Tuscany,
by
all
sorts of heavenly favors.
St.
Anthony
joined with the people in thanking the Lord for
so many graces, and invoking with greater love
his blessed father
who was now
so magnificently
glorified.
After the festival of translation came the General Chapter of Minors,
which was held as
for-
merly at the Portiuncula.
St. Anthony asked to be discharged from all
that he might give himself exclusively
John Parent was not disposed to
to preaching.
offices so
grant the request, although legitimate and presented with so much humility he, however, al;
lowed the saint to
Anthony
selected
select his place of residence.
Padua
"
because of the faith of
76
the people, the attachment he had for them, and
for their devotion to the Friars." The General
and the Chapter gave him again the most striking testimony of their confidence. He was delegated with Father Leon to solicit from Gregory
IX. an authentic declaration of the testament of
St. Francis, and to repair, in the name of the
brethren, the outrage done to the majesty of the
Apostolic See by the more than irregular acts of
Father Elie, who, of his own authority, had set
aside the entire
the Pope
body of the
programme prepared by
for the feasts of the translation of the
holy founder.
Gregory IX. did not conceal his pleasure at
The Holy Pontiff had not forseeing Anthony.
gotten the labors of his visitor, and to all his reIt was said
quests he gave favorable replies.
that the Holy Father wished to attach him to
the pontifical court, and, perhaps, to place the
purple on his shoulders. To decline these honors
the Franciscan had only to repeat the words of
St. Francis: "Lord, my children call themselves
Brothers Minor because they occupy the last rank
in the Church.
Have a care lest you take them
away under pretext of raising them higher.
pontiff did not insist,
' '
and the humble monk,
The
left
77
General Glwupter of Assist.
to his liberty, turned his steps to the mountains
of Alverne.
He visited the mountain which had
been a witness of the ecstasies of the seraphic
patriarch,
and
also of his stigmata.
He
kissed
the imprint of his feet and pressed his lips to the
rock where the seraph with six fiery wings had
appeared to him.
After this pilgrimage Anthony returned to
Padua. Using the liberty which had been given
him by the General Chapter
go and preach
to
where he wished, he turned towards this little city
which was always so dear to his heart. Great
was the joy of the people of Padua when they
saw him again within their walls, and when
they learned his decision to fix his abode with
them. They were in ecstasies, as if a victory
had been gained over an enemy they did not,
however, imagine, nor could they, the glory and
;
the triumph which Anthony brought to
the folds of his worn and faded cassock.
them
in
CHAPTER
DEATH OF
ST.
XII.
ANTHONY.
Anthony gave
himself up to preaching
The people, always anxious
to hear his words, went in crowds to his sermons.
He preached every day during Lent, and his
sermons called forth the same admiration as they
St.
with his usual
zeal.
did during his first mission in 1228.
It may be
said that the public enthusiasm increased as the
The charity
holy man's strength grew weaker.
which burned within him made him indefatiga-
He
preached, instructed, exhorted, he heard
the confessions of penitents, and very often reble.
sundown. But God sustained the courage of His servant by multiplying miracles about him, which by their number
and grandeur recall those we have already re-
mained fasting
until
lated.
After the Lenten time the blessed Anthony
through the countries around Padua,
went
preaching in the villages and hamlets which he
78
Death of
met on
his
St.
79
Anthony.
way, and prolonging the holy exer-
cises of his mission until Pentecost.
In spite of the purity of intention which he
brought to all work of the apostolate, he was
worn out by
his constant occupations in secular
This is why he thought of leaving the
and of retiring into solitude, in order to in-
matters.
city
dulge with greater liberty his inclination for
prayer and the study of Holy Scripture. He
wrote a letter to his provincial asking permission
wish in this matter. When he had
sealed the letter, he left it on his table and went
in search of a messenger who would carry it to
to follow his
its
destination.
the servant of
letter,
but
it
When
God
the messenger was found
returned to his cell to get his
he had acted contrary to
thought no more of
it.
was much astonished
vincial
Then he thought
the will of God, and
had disappeared.
Some days afterwards he
at receiving
from the pro-
a favorable reply to the request he had
It is reasonable to believe that an angel,
made.
under the appearance of a messenger, had carried
the letter to the provincial, in order to satisfy the
pious desires of Anthony, and to prove by a miracle that his request
was agreeable
to God.
For a long time the servant of God had known
80
Death of
the
moment
hand
St.
Anthony.
of his death, and
but he did not reveal
he should sadden them.
;
it
now
it
was
at
to his brethren lest
About a fortnight before that
event, seated on
a neighboring hillside, he looked over the plain,
adorned at this season with all the charms of
springtime. He cast his eyes over Padua, which
was in fullest bloom, and seemed, as it were,
seated in the centre of a bouquet of flowers.
Then he experienced an
interior joy.
He
re-
joiced at the beauty of the situation and at the
crown which God had placed on his brow. Turn-
ing towards his companion, he prophesied the
future glory of the city. He did not say what
would be; still less from whom it
would come. Subsequent events have cleared up
this glory
the mystery.
Campo San
Pietro, or Campietro, a small vil-
lage, situated three leagues from Padua, where
he found a hermitage under the protection of
St. John the Baptist, was the retreat in which the
great saint resolved to pass the last days of his
He was received there at the beginning of
life.
June, 1231, by a pious gentleman named Tiso,
the lord of Campietro, with the respect which
would be given an angel and an envoy from
Death of
heaven.
were
St.
81
Anthony.
Thanks to the care of Tiso, three cells
from the trunks and branches of
built
large walnut trees, one for Anthony, the others
two companions, Brother Luke and
Brother Roger. This was the last earthly dwelling of the wonder-worker. Shut up day and
night in his narrow wooden cell, he filled his
heart and mind with heavenly contemplation.
Not a sound was heard around or about the place,
but everywhere eternal peace and quiet although
numerous pilgrims still came to ask both prayers
and advice of the saint. The lord of Campietro
sometimes obtained a few moments' conversation
with him, and he had the distinguished happiness
to receive, at the hands of the saint, the habit of
for
his
;
the Third Order.
On
the thirteenth day of June, about mid-day,
at the time when the saint took his repast with
his brethren, he sank down and felt himself faint-
ing away.
His companions
arms and laid him on a bed
warned by this signal that
lifted
him
in their
of branches.
his last
But,
hour had
come, he expressed the wish to be carried to
Padua, to the monastery of the Minors, there to
die, assisted and surrounded by his brethren.
They took him there on a cart, but so great was
Death of St Anthony.
82
his exhaustion that
when they reached
the gates
of the city in front of the Arcella, the monastery
of the Clares, his companions advised him to go
no farther, but to stay in this place where he
could more easily find calm and rest. The sick
man consented, and entered the hospital where
three or four Franciscans resided, almoners and
spiritual guides for the daughters of St. Clare.
As soon
as he had regained a little strength he
confessed with profound sentiments of humility,
and received absolution. Then filled with a joy
for which those who stood near him could give
no reason, he intoned in a clear and harmonious
u
voice his favorite hymn,
O gloriosa Domina!
!"
His eyes remained
Hail,
Sovereign
glorious
fixed on an invisible object which captivated all
"
his attention.
What do you
astonished companions.
swered.
"I see
see?" asked his
my
God," he an-
Then the brothers wished to have administered
to him the Sacrament of Extreme Unction which
takes
away
must be
the last stains from the soul
so pure to appear before God.
" I have this
saint answered
:
—we
Unction within
The
me
;
not necessary, but it is good, however, to
After he had received the Holy
receive it."
it is
Death of
St.
83
Anthony.
Viaticum, he received the Holy Unction with the
lively faith and the greatest marks of com-
most
punction, reciting with his brethren alternately
He was then silent for
the penitential psalms.
about half an hour, when suddenly, in the midst
of the sobs of his assistants, he yielded his soul
into the hands of God, and slept his eternal
This was on the 13th of June, 1231, on
Friday, just a little before sundown.
Anthony
was then thirty -six years old.
sleep.
The Friars Minor resolved
to keep the death of
the holy apostle a secret as long as possible.
They feared the crowds of people would be too
great,
and the tumult which might
follow.
But
the sad news quickly spread, and in less than an
hour the whole city of Padua knew it. Little
having been informed by any
one, gathered in groups, and ran through the
children, without
streets of the city crying,
"The
saintly father
is
dead; the saintly preacher is dead. St. Anthony
is dead !"
This news, proclaimed by the mouths
of innocent children, filled the inhabitants of the
city
with
grief.
The storekeepers abandoned
their shops, and the workmen left their labors;
some ran in the middle of the streets inquiring
where the saint had
died.
A
vague rumor
84
designated the convent of Arcella as the place
where the mortal remains were lying. At once
men, women, and children hastened there. Some
young men bearing arms from the quarter called
the Tete du Pont had already reached there to
guard the body and to prevent all disturbance.
There was a frightful tumult. In the midst of
sobs and tears the people pressed about and
jostled each other to see once more him who had
been the spiritual father of Padua.
Several religious houses at once disputed for
The Clares asked
possession of his precious relics.
permission to preserve them in their convent.
The religious of St. Mary claimed the body as
their property; especially, they said, as St. Anthony, in dying, expressed a wish to be buried in
culties
But after many diffiwhich seemed insurmountable, it was de-
cided
that
the convent of St. Mary.
the body of the venerated father
St. Mary's convent.
should be transported to
An immense
procession started from the episthe precious relics. At the
to
visit
copal palace
head of the procession walked the bishop of
Padua, accompanied by all the secular clergy and
all the religious orders of the city and its environs.
Then came the governor
of Padua, the
85
and the magistrates and the delegates of
people, followed by the multitudes.
the usual ceremonies were ended by the
nobility
the
common
When
prelate, the procession returned to
Padua, the
and the magistrates carrying the
on
their
shoulders.
The funeral cortege
body
dignitaries
passed through the outskirts, as well as through
the principal streets of the city. At length they
arrived at the church of St. Mary Maggiore,
which had become the church of the
saint.
This was a grand festival for the people and
the city ; the houses were draped in white cloth,
and the way of the procession strewn with flow-
At each
some splendid miracle took
place, and, according to the words of the Gospel,
"the blind see, the lame walk, and the dumb
speak." The church could not contain the mulThe people, for the most part, were
titudes.
The
compelled to remain outside the doors.
bishop officiated, pronounced the absolution, and
sealed the tomb in which the relics of the saint
ers.
step
rested.
The tomb of the Portuguese
apostle was hardly
became a centre of pilgrimage
the scene of multiplied wonders and the bishop
sealed before
it
solicited the
Holy See at once
—
—
for the honors of
Death of
86
St.
Anthony.
was no small consolation
for
Gregory IX. to hear the recital of the heroic
vir-
canonization.
It
tues and the splendid prodigies which recalled all
the wonders of the primitive Church. The Pope
ordered that the judicial information should begin without delay. In about six months the in-
quiry was ended, and by an exception perhaps
unique in the history of the Church, less than
one year after the death of the servant of God,
in the midst of the pentecostal feasts, on the
30th of May, 1232, the infallible teacher, then at
Spoleto,
solemnly promulgated
canonization.
At length
the
decree
of
the pontiff intoned the
Te Deum, then the antiphon,
O
Doctor optime,
thus publicly saluting the eminent doctor, the
defender of the divinity of the Incarnate Word,
the defender of the Beal Presence, the apostle of
Mary's prerogatives, and the wonder-worker and
saint.
And now a new wonder
occurred.
The
feasts
of Spoleto were then being celebrated, and a spirit
of irresistible joy ran through the whole city of
All the bells in the towers, moved by
no visible hand, rang out their joyous chimes,
Lisbon.
and the inhabitants manifested a joy for which
they could give no reason. It was not until two
Death of
St.
87
Anthony.
months afterwards that they got a clew to the
mystery. By a coincidence, in which the finger
of God is visible, the bells of Lisbon, the native
city of St. Anthony, were rung at the same time
as those of Spoleto, to congratulate the Portu-
guese wonder-worker.
On the 13th of June, 1232, Padua was ready
to celebrate the feasts of canonization.
It
was
just one year to a day after the death of the
The festivities were splendid
wonder-worker.
beyond
all description.
The people were
over-
They were children praising their father;
were
they
captives returning thanks to their libjoyed.
erator.
Along the
streets could be seen tapestries
and
hangings, branches and flowers strewn in profu-
and joy and gladness were on every side.
The people stopped and congratulated one anThis was not merely enthusiasm but a
other.
kind of delirium prompted by gratitude and by a
love which could not be satisfied.
And the same feasts and the same splendors
were to be witnessed in Lisbon. Was not Anthony the saint of Lisbon before he became the
sion,
saint of
Padua?
By a
of saints both parents of
rare privilege in the life
Anthony assisted at this
Death of
88
St.
Anthony.
triumph. O happy mother who could count her
son among her protectors in heaven, and behold
the people render him such honor
family, so visibly blest by God
all
!
happy
!
The reader will remember how displeased the
Canons of St. Augustine were at the departure
of Anthony from their convent, and they did not
hesitate
to manifest
their displeasure openly.
said on leaving them, " When you
hear that I have become a saint you will bless
But Anthony
God." These words were a prophecy. As soon
as he was placed on the altars, the storm of discord suddenly became calm, and the Canons
rivalled the Franciscans in their zeal in proclaim-
ing the praises of their former colleague. From
this time a sacred bond existed between them
which has never been broken. A bond of eternal
and reciprocal friendship now unites the two
great religious families, and the union has continued for six successive centuries. Each year,
on the 13th day of June, a Canon of the Holy
Cross from Coimbra goes to St. Anthony of
Olivares, where he pronounces the panegyric of
the saint, and presides at all the exercises of the
He does this to remind all that from
convent.
came one of the most beautiful minds
Cross
Holy
Dm**
of St Anthony.
89
of the Middle Ages, and one of the lights of the
seraphic Order.
In 1263, thirty-two years after the death of the
saint, it was Voided to remove his mortal re-
mains from the shrine
in the
church of
St.
Mary
Maggiore to the high altar of a new church built
in his honor by the Friars Minor.
Their minister-general, St. Bonaventure,
was present
at the
and on opening the coffin
it was found that while the body had crumbled
into dust, the tongue, which had sung the praises
of the Most High and been the means of converting so many, was incorrupt and of its natural
translation of the body,
Moved by the
sight of this miracle,
" O blessed
St. Bonaventure exclaimed
tongue,
color.
:
which always didst
bless the
others also to bless
Him, now
Lord and caused
is it
evident
highly thou wert esteemed by God 1"
how
CHAPTER
THE BREAD OF
ST.
XIII.
ANTHONY.
In France devotion to St. Anthony has spreaa
with a magnificence equal to that in Portugal and
Italy.
lively
To-day devotion to the good saint is more
than ever. Who is there in France, in
America, or in Canada that does not know the
good St. Anthony of Padua? How many circumstances might be related of the vigilance and
him who is invoked with such great
faith, especially when there is question of finding
some lost object? But the power of the wonderthe power of
worker is not limited to this. How many spiritual and temporal graces have been obtained by
the invocation of this amiable saint?
And what
"
we
say of the work called the Bread of St.
Anthony"? This work commenced in a modest
shall
oratory of Toulon in France, and in a short time
spread throughout
ica
all
France and then to
Amer
and elsewhere.
A young girl of Toulon, named
90
Louise Bouffier,
The Bread of
St.
Anthony.
91
thought of consecrating herself to God under the
garb of the Carmelites. She was obliged to put
the thought away, however, as she was the sole
support of her parents still she consoled herself
;
by employing
work
all
her leisure moments in the
of the foreign missions.
A
favor obtained
through the intercession of St. Anthony awakened in her heart a profound sentiment of grati-
wonder-worker was on
that very day placed in the corner of the workshop where she was engaged, and thenceforth the
tude.
The statue
of the
good saint looked down upon the labors of the
young
girl.
This was the origin of the countless
graces and wonders which awakened public atShe who had hoped to be a daughter
tention.
became the propagatrix of
the devotion to St. Anthony. But we shall let
the girl herself tell of the beginning and the
of St. Theresa thus
rapid progress of this opportune and consoling
devotion.
She wrote to Eev. Father Marie Antoine,
a Franciscan, and propagator of the devowhose name he bore, the foi*
tion to the saint,
lowing:
"My Reverend
"
Father:
You wish to know how the devotion to St.
Anthony of Padua began in our city of Toulon.
The Bread of
92
Like
all
St.
Anthony.
the works of our good God,
it
developed
About four years ago,
quietly and in obscurity.
I knew nothing of the devotion to St. Anthony
of Padua and had only heard it vaguely asthat he was the patron of those who
wished to recover whatever had been lost.
"One morning, I could not open my store
door as the secret lock was found to be broken.
I engaged a locksmith, who brought a large
bunch of keys, and worked on it about an hour.
Having lost all patience, he said to me: 'I must
serted
;
go
for
some other
tools to force the door; it is
'
impossible to open it otherwise.
"During his absence, inspired
by the good
God, I said to myself 'If you promise some bread
to St. Anthony for the poor, perhaps he would
:
open the door without breaking it.' At that
moment the workman came, bringing a companion with him. I said to them: 'Gentlemen,
allow me, if you please. I have just promised
some bread to St. Anthony of Padua for his
poor instead of forcing the door, try once more
to open it perhaps the saint will come to our assistance.
They agreed and when the first key
was introduced into the broken lock, it opened
without the least difficulty, as if it were the very
;
;
;
key of the door.
It is useless to
ture the wonder of all present.
all my pious friends pray with
attempt to
From
me
pic-
that day,
to the good
The Bread of
St.
Anthony.
93
and the smallest of our sorrows is communicated to St. Anthony with the promise of
saint,
bread for his poor.
" We cannot but marvel at the
graces he obtains for us.
One of my intimate friends who
witnessed these wonders at once promised a kilogram of bread every day of her life if he would
obtain for a member of her family the correction of a certain failing over which she had
grieved for twenty-three years. The favor was
soon granted, and the failing has never returned.
In gratitude she purchased a little statue of St.
Anthony of Padua, which she has given me, and
we have placed it in a little room so dark that a
lamp is necessary to make it visible. This is my
back room. Well, would you believe it, Father,
every day this little dark room is filled with
people who come to pray with greatest fervor.
Not only do they pray, but you would think that
each one is paid to make known and spread this
devotion.
u At one time a
soldier, an officer, or captain
of a ship about to start on a long voyage comes
to promise to St. Anthony one dollar a month
for bread, if he reaches his destination safely.
Again, a mother asks for her child's health or
the success of his examinations.
Now, a family
asks for the conversion of a dear soul near te
death
who
will not receive the sacraments : then,
The Bread of
94
St.
Anthony.
workman seeks
these requests are accompanied by a promise of bread if they are answered.
a servant needs a situation, or a
—and
occupation,
all
"Some time ago, I was sent
lady who was in great suffering.
for
by an aged
'
'
Mademoiselle,
she said to me, 'for two years I have prayed fervently to the great St. Anthony to relieve me
from the misery in which I live, helpless from
rheumatism, not able to remain alone, and not
having means enough to keep a servant. I have
only a small annuity and many necessities.
Each day I have conjured the saint to remove
my
obligations,
and have promised him,
in
thanksgiving, forty dollars for his poor. He has
heard my petition, not according to my wishes,
but very much beyond my expectations. I have
just inherited nine thousand dollars most unexThis is why I have sent for you.
As
pectedly.
she spoke, the tears were in her eyes. Her heart
overflowed with gratitude, her hand was generous, and our orphans are happy.
"
certain gentleman in the neighborhood of
Toulon owned a place worth at least seven thou'
A
sand dollars which he wished to sell. He made
the greatest efforts to find a purchaser, but no
one seemed to want the property. Some one
told
him
of
my
little
He came there,
oratory.
feet of St. Anthony,
and while kneeling at the
The Breaa
promised
fifty
of
St Anthony.
95
Three days
and on conditions
francs for bread.
after, the property
was
sold,
as advantageous as they were unexpected.
"
Towards the end of the bathing season, one
of my lady friends, who was a very skilful swim-
mer, while in the water lost a gold ring set
Her sorrow was very great
with brilliants.
when she realized her loss. The bathers, always
numerous on our seashore, hearing of the mishap plunged into the water in search of the precious jewel.
One after another they plunged
into the depths of the Mediterranean, but returned unsuccessful. The lady on entering her
house remembered the power of St. Anthony,
and made him a promise of bread. Early on the
following day she returned to the beach, accompanied by a young man, who at the first plunge
found and brought back the prized ring. As the
lady is well known in the city, the event produced a great impression.
"St.
Anthony
blesses
those
who keep
their
promises, but allow me to say that he rigorously
punishes those who neglect their obligations.
an example. A lady of Toulon had
promised one hundred kilograms of bread to obtain a special favor for one dearly loved.
The
favor was granted, and she hastened to tell us
with great demonstrations of joy. But the debt
of gratitude was not discharged.
Two months
Here
is
The Bread of
96
St.
Anthony.
We
feared some punishment would folpassed.
soon
we learned that the dearly loved
low.
Very
one had died, and almost suddenly.
"A book would not suffice to contain the
miracles which are daily witnessed here through
"
the intercession of our saintly wonder-worker.
box placed at the feet of St.
Anthony, in Mademoiselle Bouffier's rear workroom, if it were possible, could recount many a
secret and the reason for many anonymous
That
little
offerings.
In the beginning, the weekly receipts were
In Lafayette
from fifteen to thirty francs.
Street, it is recalled that the receipts for one
day
hundred francs.
It is scarcely credible, but now, when the box
does not yield more than three hundred francs,
The total
it is considered a very small amount.
reached the unusual
sum
of one
for the year 1894 was 108,506 francs.
Nothing, perhaps, is so calculated to touch or
amount
move
the witnesses of these wonders as a visit
to this modest box,
which, although emptied
every evening, is filled again the next day by
offerings, the secret of which God alone knows.
On seeing the marvellous contents of that inexhaustible box spread out, every one exclaims,
The Bread of St Anthony.
97
"Are not
these several days' receipts ?"
No,
in
one
deposited
day.
Oftentimes there are four or five hundred
that
the
is
amount
francs in bank-notes, in gold pieces, in crowns,
or in copper coins, and all these gifts are anony-
By whom
this piece of gold has been deor
these
small
coins, or the bank-note
posited,
for one hundred francs, none but God knows.
mous.
"But
that which especially causes our joy,"
wrote Mademoiselle Bouffier to some friends, " is
humility which envelops this dear little
work, and, as you know, is the true character of
the
humility with which each
one places his or her offering in the box, without
caring if I know them or not. And when even-
God's work.
It is the
ing comes, on opening St. Anthony's box to
register the receipts, I find the penny of the poor
mingled with the bank-notes or gold pieces of the
rich.
The bread kneaded by the charity of each
one bears only one name and can bear no other,
the
name my dear orphans
of St.
give
it,
—'the bread
Anthony.'"
not a rare thing to find some jewels
the
can easily beamong
pieces of money.
lieve that these golden rings represent perhaps
a severer sacrifice, for those who part with them
It is
We
98
The Bread of
St.
Anthony.
pay a sacred debt, than the gift of a piece of
money. But whether in bank-notes or coppers,
to
made with the same genand
erosity
simplicity; and there is no more
ceremony in depositing one thousand francs than
all
the offerings are
in depositing a single penny.
But all have promised bread for the poor, they
have prayed and their prayers have been answered. The work has been successful, the difficulty has been overcome, the lost object has been
recovered, health has been restored, and some
long-time prodigal has at last returned to his
father's house.
Thanks
to St.
Anthony
!
CHAPTER
WHAT
IS
Everything
ASKED OP
is
XIV.
ST.
asked from
there are very few requests
ANTHONY.
St.
made
Anthony, and
him that do
of
not meet with a hearty and generous response.
The joy of the petitioner is frequently manifested
in cheerful accents like this which was sent
Saint
"
Unbounded confidence in my good
Anthony of Padua, who knows not how to
from Paris
:
refuse anything.
my
heart, and
I love this great saint
with
him for all the favors he has given me."
One thing which is often asked of him
restoration of health.
On
1894, the following letter
vados
all
I shall be eternally grateful to
is
the
the 29th of August,
received from Cal-
was
:
—
"Mademoiselle: Saint Anthony has heard
The good health we have asked
our petitions
for has been granted, and without the delicate
In gratioperation which was greatly feared.
of
herewith
a
we
tude and in fulfilment
promise,
!
99
What
100
is
Asked of
St.
Anthony.
send you thirty francs for bread for the poor of
We shall send the same amount
St. Anthony.
from time to time, hereafter."
A
titled
lady of Baroul, near Lille, sent the
following on May 18th, 1894:
"I was
told of the prodigies wrought by St.
of
Padua, and now I cannot sufficiently
Anthony
admire the goodness of this powerful wonder-
worker.
little
On
niece
the 10th inst. I learned that
was attacked by
my
meningitis, and re-
garded by her physicians as a helpless and hopeless case.
At once we began a novena to St.
with
the promise of sending you ten
Anthony,
francs for your poor people. To-day I am informed she is out of danger. Praise and thanks,
therefore, to the good St. Anthony whom no one
invokes in vain."
On
the 31st of August the pastor of
Bernenchon wrote:
Mount
" I have the honor of
sending you the sum of
ninety -eight francs that you may be able to purchase bread for your old people and orphans.
is the votive offering of a parishioner for
health obtained through the intercession of St.
This
Anthony
of
Padua."
What
is
Ashed of
St.
Anthony.
101
September 12th, 1894.
am happy to send you
herewith the sum of twenty -five francs from the
She promised
Superioress of our Third Order.
this amount if she should preserve her eyesight,
which she feared was permanently impaired.
Having experienced much assistance, she is most
anxious to obtain a complete cure and is satisfied
"Mademoiselle:
—I
that her eyes will be as perfect as they formerly
were."
October 31st, 1894.
"Mademoiselle: I send you enclosed two
bank-notes, amounting to one hundred francs, for
bread for the poor. The good St. Anthony has
—
obtained for
I wish to
me
complete restoration to health.
pay him
my
just debt."
Paris, November lTth, 1894.
"Mademoiselle: I thank you for the good
prayers you have offered to St. Anthony for the
We have been
cure of my daughter's eyes.
aided us in a
and
this
saint
has
heard;
good
manner truly providential. I have promised him
a pound of bread every week until my child attains her majority, thus wishing to thank him
—
during
We
many
years."
could not hope to give all the testimonies
Even
received in gratitude for favors obtained.
What
102
if
Asked of
St.
AntJwny.
would make a large
are in receipt of like letters daily.
to say, that the good St. Anthony
we gave
extracts, these
We
volume.
Suffice
is
it
has been invoked in every circumstance both
spiritual and temporal, and in every instance
the favors have been granted and oftentimes
more has been obtained than was expected or
asked
for.
But in conclusion we wish
the manner of conducting
word as to
work of St.
to say a
this
Anthony's bread.
churches and chapels there is a statue
of the saint; at his feet there is a box destined
To ask a favor from St.
to receive the requests.
In
many
Anthony, with the promise of bread for his poor,
this
is
the ordinary
way
:
accompanied by a
promise, and it is then placed in the box at the
feet of the statue.
Any formula may be em-
The request
ployed.
When
ised offering
is
is
written,
the request is granted, the
placed in the box.
prom
PRAYERS TO
Novena in Honor of
ST.
St.
ANTHONY.
Anthony of Padua.
has been asked frequently " What prayers
must be employed to make this novena? " We
It
:
answer that no particular prayers are prescribed.
A prayer, the promise of a gift of bread, a sacrifice,
in fact
sincere.
It
any act of devotion, provided it be
is recommended to terminate the
novena by receiving Holy Communion.
Prayer
Find Lost Things.
Anthony, since God has given
to
O glorious St.
thee the power of miracles, a power thou hast
exercised for more than six centuries, and since
He has given thee in particular the power of
finding that which has been lost, I come to thee
with the confidence of a child to the best of
Grant me, above all, to find the grace
of God, if I have had the misfortune to lose it
grant me to find also my former fervor in the
fathers.
;
103
104
Prayers
to St.
Anthony.
God and in the practice of virtue ; and
as a pledge of these graces, so important for my
eternal salvation, grant me to find also the things
service of
I
have
make me
Thus, thou shalt
lost.
experi-
ence the presence of thy goodness, and thou wilt
increase
my
confidence and
my
love for thee.
(Our Father.)
Efficacious Prayer to St. Anthony.
Anthony, I congratulate thee on all
the prerogatives with which God has favored
thee, beyond all His saints.
By thy power
death is disarmed, and by thy light error is
Great
St.
dissipated; they whom malice strives to crush
receive by thy assistance that solace so much de-
and the lame obtain
complete health by thy power storms and tem-
sired; the lepers, the sick,
;
pests are appeased at thy
tives' chains are broken
command;
the cap-
by thy authority;
care
are found; all
lost
through thy
things
who invoke thee with confidence are freed from
the evils under which they suffer and from the
perils which threaten them; in a word, there is
no difficulty over which thy power and bounty
do not extend.
cessor,
by
all
Anthony, powerful interthese graces which heaven has
St.
Prayers
to St.
105
Anthony,
given thee I supplicate thee to take paternal
care of
my
my body,
soul,
of
my
affairs,
and of
whole
life, being assured that there is noth*
my
ing in the world that can injure me, so long as
I shall be under the safeguard of such a patron
and
protector.
Present
my
needs and desires to
the Father of mercies, to the
solation, that by thy merits
strengthen
me
me
His
in
afflictions, deliver
God
console
service,
me from
of every condeign to
He may
me
in
evils, or at least give
strength to bear them for my greater sanctiI ask these graces for myself and for
fication.
who are in the same dangers. O perfect
imitator of Jesus, who hast received the special
privilege of restoring lost things, I ask of you
those
that I
may
which has been
find
lost, if
such is the will of God, or at least I ask quiet of
mind and peace of conscience, the deprivation of
which has
loss of
afflicted
me more
sensibly than the
everything in the world.
add another, which
is
to keep
To
me
these favors
faithful in the
possession of the true goods, in a word, that
hostile force can make me lose or separate
from
my
God, to
now and
whom
be honor and thanks-
forever.
giving
Fathers and Hail Marys.)
no
me
Amen.
(Five
Our
106
Prayers
to St.
Anthony,
Petition to St. Anthony.
Charitable protector of those who have recourse
to thee, since thou hast received the gift of mir-
ask of thee the grace of my conversion
and perseverance. Present all my needs before
acles, I
the throne of God, keep from me and from all
those who are dear to me sickness, adversity,
and disgrace; and by the power of thy prayers
obtain for us the best blessings of heaven and
Amen.
earth.
Prayer
Great
all
who
St.
to
Obtain a Good Death.
Anthony
of Padua, sweet hope oi
implore thee, I prostrate myself
humbly
at thy feet to obtain by thy powerful intercession
the greatest of all blessings, the grace of dying
Do not allow, I entreat thee, by the
of Jesus, that I be suddenly seized
Heart
pierced
by death in the deplorable state of mortal sin
grant that at that last moment I may experience
the most profound sorrow for the sins of my
whole life, that I may be penetrated with love
for Jesus, and full of confidence in the power of
His blood which was shed for me that the last
movement of my hands may be to carry the cruciwell.
;
;
Prayers
fix to
my
lips,
and
to St.
my
Antlwny.
10?
words the holy names
last
of Jesus and Mary in short that, expiring in the
embrace of my sweet Eedeemer, I may have the
happiness to see Him, to love Him, and to possess
;
Him
with thee for
also for
and
my
for all
all eternity.
Obtain this grace
parents, my friends, my benefactors
are dear to me, in Our Lord
who
Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and glory with
the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Litany of
St.
Anthony.*
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
the Father of heaven,
God
God
God
the Son, Eedeemer of the world,
the Holy Ghost,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Holy Mary, conceived without sin,
St. Anthony of Padua,
St. Anthony, glory of the Brothers Minor,
St. Anthony, lily of virginity,
* For .private devotion.
Co
C5>
^4
108
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
St.
Prayers
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
Anthony,
to St.
Anthony.
gem
of poverty,
example of obedience,
mirror of abstinence,
vessel of purity,
star of sanctity,
model of conduct,
beauty of paradise,
ark of the testament,
keeper of the Scriptures,
teacher of truth,
preacher of grace,
exterminator of vices,
planter of virtues,
conqueror of heretics,
terror of the infidels,
consoler of the afflicted,
searcher of consciences.
martyr in
desire,
terror of the devils,
horror of hell,
Anthony, performer of miracles,
Anthony, finder of lost things,
Anthony, helper of all who invoke
thee,
Be
Be
merciful, spare us,
merciful, hear us,
O Lord !
O Lord.
Prayers
From
From
From
From
From
to
St Anthony.
109
all evil,
all sin,
b
the snares of the devil,
pestilence, famine,
and war,
g
^
eternal death,
Through the merits of St. Anthony,
Through his ardent charity,
Through his zealous preaching,
Through his desire of martyrdom,
Through his strict observance of obedience,
poverty, and chastity,
On
q
^
the day of judgment,
beseech Thee, hear us.
We sinners,
That Thou vouchsafe
to lead us to true peni-
)
tence,
That Thou vouchsafe
to inflame us with
divine love,
That Thou vouchsafe
o*
to let us ever enjoy the
protection of St. Anthony,
That Thou vouchsafe
;jp
S
§«
by the merof St. Anthony, the gift of true con-
g
trition, humility, and contemplation,
That Thou vouchsafe us the grace, through
the intercession of St. Anthony, to
overcome the world, the flesh, and the
$*
its
devil,
to give us,
§
^
s
110
Prayers
to St.
Anthony.
That Thou vouchsafe the assistance of
Anthony
to all who invoke
him in
St.
their
necessities,
That Thou vouchsafe graciously to hear us,
Son of God,
Lamb
of God,
who
takest
away
CO
^*
the sins of the
world, spare us, O Lord.
of God, who takest away the sins of the
Lamb
world, hear us, O Lord.
of God, who takest away the sins of the
Lamb
world, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
V. Pray for us, O blessed Anthony.
B. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray.
Almighty and
Thy
eternal God,
faithful confessor
who
didst glorify
Anthony with the perpet-
ual gift of working miracles, graciously grant
that what we confidently seek through his merits
we may
surely receive through his intercession.
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Prayers
to St.
The Responsory
Si qusBris miracula,
to St.
Anthony.
If miracles thou fain
would st see
Mors, error, calami-
111
Anthony,
:
Lo, error, death, calamity,
tas,
Daemon, lepra fugilint,
Aegri surgunt
sani.
The leprous stain, the
demon flies,
From beds of pain the
sick arise.
Cedunt
vin-
The hungry seas fore-
resque per-
go their prey,
The prisoner's cruel
mare,
cula,
Membra
chains give
ditas
Petunt et accipiunt
Juvenes et cani.
way
;
While palsied limbs
and chattels lost,
Both young and old
recovered boast.
Pereunt pericula,
Cessat et necessitas ;
And
famished board
Narrent
tiunt,
hi, qui sen-
perish ;
perils
plenty's hoard
Is heaped on hunge r
Let those
know
it
;
relate,
welk
s
who
112
Prayers
to St.
Anthony.
Let Padua
.Dicant Paduani.
tron
Cedunt,
et Spiritui Sancto.
V.
The hungry seas,
etc.
Ora pro
Ut
nobis,
amur
digni
effici-
promissionibus
V.
Pray for us, blessed Anthony.
R. That we may be
made worthy
Ecclesiam tuam, Debeati Antonii con-
fessoris tui
commemo-
votiva
lsetificet,
ut spiritualibus semper
muniatur
auxiliis,
et
gaudiis perfrui mereatur ae t e r n i s.
Per
Christum
nostrum.
Dominum
Amen.
O
tive
the
commemoration
blessed
of
Anthony, Thy
confessor, be a source of
joy to Thy Church, that
she may always be fortified
with spiritual
sistance,
and
may
as-
de-
serve to possess eternal
Through Christ
joy.
Our Lord.
An
of
Let us Pray.
God! Let the vo-
Oremus.
ratio
etc.
promises of Christ.
Christi.
us,
etc.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
beate Antoni.
R.
tell.
The hungry seas,
etc.
Gloria Patri et Filio
Cedunt,
o/ her pa-
Amen.
indulgence of one hundred days each time
indulgence, once a month, if recited every day.
A plenary
to St.
Prayers
O
Hymn
113
Anthony,
Oloriosa Domina.
to the Blessed Virgin Mary, that St.
Anthony was wont
to repeat.
O
gloriosa Domina,
Excelsa super sidera,
glorious
Virgin,
ever blest,
All daughters of man-
kind above,
Qui
te creavit provide,
Lactasti sacro ubere.
Who
gavest
nurture
from thy breast
To God with pure maternal love.
Quod Eva
ab-
tristis
stulit
Tu
through
reddis
almo
ger«
mine;
Intren^;
What we
ut
astra
fle-
biles,
Coeli fenestra facta es.
have
lost
sinful Eve,
The blossom sprung
from thee restores,
And
granting
bliss
to
souls that grieve,
Unbars the everlasting
doors.
Tu
regis alti janua,
gate through which
hath
King!
passed
the
114
Prayers
Et porta
to St.
Anthony.
whence
hall
lucis fulgida,
shone
through
light
the
gloom!
Vitam datam per
ginem,
Gentes
vir-
praise
redemptse,
tibi sit gloria,
and sing
The Offspring
virgin
plaudite.
Jesu
The ransomed nations
of
thy
womb!
from mankind
and heaven's host,
Praise
Qui natus es de virgine,
To Jesus
Cum
To Father and
of
a virgin
sprung,
Patre
Almo
et
saecula.
Amen.
Be equal
sung.
O Lingua
When
St.
Holy
glory
ever
Ghost,
Spiritu.
In sempiterna
remains of
to
Amen.
Benedicta.
Bonaventure had the grave opened in which the
St.
Anthony had reposed
for thirty-two years, the
tongue of the saint was found well preserved and red as in the
days when he preached the word of God.
O
lingua benedicta,
quae Dominum semper
benedixisti, et alios
benedicere fecisti nunc
manifesto a p p a r e t ,
:
O
blessed
tongue
!
that always blessed the
Lord, and made others
and praise Him;
now manifest what
bless
it is
Prayers
to
quanti meriti exstitisti
apud Deum.
St Anthony.
115
great merits thou dost
possess in the sight of
God.
V.
Ora pro
R.
Ut
amur
V.
nobis.
promissionibus
made worthy
digni
ut
guam
sicut
Confessoris
Lin-
Antonii
beati
tui
post
mortem
incorruptam
servasti, ita nos ejus
et
ALMIGHTY
om-
nipotens Deus, qui facis
prodigia et mirabilia
meritis,
exemplo
benedioere
who
be
the
we
as
beseech Thee, that,
didst preserve
the tongue of Thy holy
confessor St.
Anthony
incorrupt after
we, through
cession
Amen.
per-
Thou
et
Per Christum Domi-
God,
dost
form miracles, grant,
and
example,
death,
his inter-
after
may
his
be wor-
and
Thee
forever.
blessing
Through Christ Our
thy
nostrum.
alone
te
laudare valeamus.
num
of
Let us Pray,
quaesumus,
semper
may
promises of Christ.
Oremus.
solus,
for us.
R. That we
Christi.
Da
Pray
effici-
Lord.
of
praising
Amen,
116
Prayers
to St.
Anthony.
Anthony' s Blessing Against the Assaults of
St.
the
Powers of
Ecce crucem Domini
!
fugite partes ad-
versae ; vicit
Leo de
tri-
bu Juda, radix David,
Alleluia !
Hell.
Behold the
the Lord
!
fly
of darkness ;
cross of
ye powers
the Lion
of the tribe of Juda, the
root of David, has con-
quered.
Alleluia
!
One hundred days* indulgence once a day.— Leo XIII. May
,
21, 1892.
Three Prayers to be Said Kneeling Before a
Picture of St. Anthony in Affliction or
Anxiety of any Kind.
loving Jesus, source of grace and mercy, I
cast myself at Thy feet, and I implore Thee,
through the love which St. Anthony bore Thee,
and through the compassionate Heart with
which in Thy bitter agony Thou didst look down
upon Thy Mother from the
her to the care of
cross
and commend
St. John, to look upon me, a
with
the eyes of Thy boundless
poor sinner,
mercy. Come as my loving Father and God to
Prayers
my assistance
Thee do
in
to
St Anthony,
my great need
I trust, in
Thee do
117
and anxiety.
I hope.
In
Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary.)
O
good Jesus, loving Redeemer and Sanctifierf
Thy feet, and I implore Thee
I cast myself at
through the love which St. Anthony bore Thee,
and through Thy precious blood shed for us, to
turn Thy compassionate and fatherly eyes upon
me, a poor sinner whom Thou didst free on the
from the chains of the enemy. Comfort
my anxiety and affliction, for in Thee
alone do I place all my confidence and my hope.
cross
me
in
Amen.
loving Jesus, sure and
O
sole refuge of
my
needy soul! I cast myself at Thy feet, and I
implore Thee through the love which St. Anthony
bore Thee, and through Thy love for him which
induced Thee to come to him in the form of a little child, and to comfort and caress him, I implore
Thee
to
come
that I
to
me
in
my
may know how
great need and
precious
in
in
soul
Thee.
a
that
hopes
presence
affliction,
is
Thy
118
Prayers
to
St Anthony.
Prayer.
truest and most loving patron
St.
Anthony !
I implore thee in union with the most loving
Heart of Jesus, which He suffered to be opened
show me how great
is thy power before the throne of God, and let me
for sinners after His death,
be comforted in
like all
who
my
call
affliction
upon thee
with the hope that,
in their need, I
may
be able to say with a joyful heart, God truly lives
and reigns in His servant St. Anthony. Amen.
Prayer for One who Would Devoutly Honor St
Anthony.
O
%
my
faithful advocate and proI rejoice for thy unspeakable happiness
in the contemplation of the Most Holy Trinity,
St.
Anthony,
tector !
in which the soul possesses all that
it
could ever
and humbly beg thee to regard not my sins and ingratitude, but, in thy
tender compassion, beg Our Lord Jesus Christ to
grant me His grace, without which I can do nothdesire.
ing.
I earnestly
With
this divine gift I shall be strength-
ened to overcome
the sensibility of
my evil desires,
my soul, to resist
to discipline
the tempta-
to St.
Prayers
119
Anthony.
and amend my bad habits
advance in the love of God,
tions of the evil one,
it
will enable
me
to
;
God
to fulfil the divine will of
possible, to
walk
in the
way
as perfectly as
of a true Christian
and discern between good and
life,
evil counsel, to accept with a joyful heart interior
as well as exterior admonitions, and to love and
to recognize
serve
my neighbor
I also pray thee,
as the divine will decrees.
O
against the hands of
St.
Anthony, to protect
my
enemies, to save
from an unprovided death
me
me
above all, implore
be
not
God
surprised by death and
may
depart this life without the sacraments of holy
Church, which Our Lord Jesus Christ has insti;
that I
tuted to strengthen and comfort us in that dread
hour, and that thou and our blessed Mother may
be present at my side; and finally that, through
the bitter passion of Our Saviour and thy inter-
may, with thee and all the saints and
God, rejoice and praise Him forever in
cession, I
elect of
the heavenly country.
Printed by Benziger Brothers,
New
York,

saint anthony - Catholic Apologetics Information

Transcription

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